Ceres: A Fallen Empire (Book 1)
by Connor the speling pro
Summary: 80 years ago, an intergalactic empire that ruled over humanity disbanded. Jeff, Ness, and Ninten go to Ceres, the former empire's capital planet, to learn about psionics. However, they soon discover that old sentiments die hard; many people want to resurrect the empire and see people from Earth as lesser stock. First installment of the Ceres trilogy. AU, in case you can't tell :P
1. Prologue: Red

**Author's Note:**

 **Okay, I decided to add a short AN to make sure that three points are crystal clear (meaning that light is only slightly refracted :P).**

 **-This chapter is supposed to be vague**

 **-The rest of the story focuses on the school like the description says.**

 **-You don't need any experience with the series to understand this fic. It may seem like you're missing out on something with the characters/world, but you really aren't. All of the mysteries and backstories of characters don't really have anything to do with the games.**

 **Okay, that's all! :)**

* * *

 **Four years ago:**

Fuel sat in a dark, empty basement, covering his ears and trying not to listen to the sounds of destruction outside. Instead of thinking about what would happen to him, Fuel resolved to think about other things, harmless things.

He thought about his name. Fuel, like the kind that powered industrial machines on the planet Vulcan. It was a strange name, made even more strange by the fact that his father's name was "Lighter." People always laughed when they heard his name. They would scrunch their noses and say: "No way. That's your _real_ name?" Still, Fuel didn't mind. A name was just a label. It didn't indicate anything about who he was on the inside.

Fuel tried not to hear the footsteps that approached his basement. He was going to be safe… right? His father said that he would be safe, and his father never lied.

Fuel cut off his train of thought as a starman teleported right in front of him. He couldn't help but gasp as he stood face to face with the alien. Starmen had sleek, grey skin that somehow looked both flexible and stiff. Its arms took on the shape of tentacles, undulating in the dim light. This meant that starmen couldn't grasp objects like a human, but they didn't need to. After all, they could use psionics to mess with the world in horrifying ways.

 _Oh no…_ Fuel thought, freezing in panic. _What's going to happen to me?_

Would Fuel… die? Before, he had shrugged death off as a phenomenon that only happened to old people that had already done everything that they wanted, but the full implications of death now hit him square in the chest. If he died, he would never have the chance to follow his dreams… That, Fuel felt, would hurt more than the physical pain of losing his life.

The starman scanned the room, either not noticing or not caring about Fuel. Fuel shivered as he noticed that the starman didn't have eyes. It made sense, though; starmen perceived the world through their psionic powers.

"Nothing important here," the starman spoke in a metallic voice. "Yes, I shall pull out immediately."

The starman moved its tentacles and uttered a strange sound, disappearing from sight.

 _Who was he talking to?_ Fuel wondered. _Nobody else was in the room…_

He thought about the starman's words. By the sound of it, the alien had teleported out of Tazmily, the town where Fuel resided… which implied that the raid was over. Fuel walked up the stairs, every instinct in his body telling him to turn back and hide. Fuel shook his head, trying to dispel his concerns. He had to be strong, now! Fuel latched onto the doorknob that lead to the world outside, grasping it so tightly that his knuckle turned white.

 _Just what will I find?_ he wondered.

Well, there was no point in waiting. Without thinking, Fuel turned the doorknob and thrust the door open.

The scene before him was prettier than he had expected.

Most of the houses stood upright; only a few lay toppled over from the starmen's wrath. In the distance, Fuel could hear sounds of birds chirping. That generally meant that the area was safe. The birds were the first to leave when danger approached.

 _I have to find my father,_ Fuel thought. _He might be injured._

He remembered how his father had volunteered to fight off the starmen. It made sense logically; Lighter was the strongest person in Tazmily, possibly the strongest on Aphrodite. Still, Fuel couldn't help but worry. After all, what could physical strength alone do when faced with the nightmarish psionic powers that the starmen used?

Fuel started off into the distance, anticipatory adrenaline keeping him alert. Before long, he saw a familiar face.

"Lucas!" Fuel shouted, scrambling up to his friend. "Are you all right? Where's Claus?"

Lucas halted and turned to face Fuel, his azure eyes shining with horror. As always, his blond hair stood straight up in the front.

Lucas was a couple years younger than Fuel, having turned 11 only a month ago. This caused Fuel to treat Lucas like a younger brother sometimes… although his twin brother Claus often acted like an older sibling as well. Lucas usually looked nervous and acted timid, but Fuel had rarely seen him in such a horrified state.

"Lucas!" Fuel repeated.

"Red," Lucas whispered, almost too softly to hear.

"What?" Fuel asked. "What about red?"

"Evil. Red kills."

Fuel blinked.

"Are you okay, Lucas?"

"So much red… a sea of crimson, wailing in pain."

"Lucas! What's going on?"

The blond boy sighed sadly.

"Claus… why did you side with the red?" he asked regretfully.

 _I won't get any answers out of him like this,_ Fuel thought. _I should find Claus… or maybe I should locate their parents. Flint and Hinawa can handle this far better than I._

"I'll be right back, Lucas," Fuel assured.

"Goodbye," Lucas whispered, staring longingly out into the distance. "And try not to let the red control you."

 _I need to get help for him, and quickly!_ Fuel thought frantically. Lucas didn't seem to be in a right state of mind.

Fuel ran up to Lucas' house, feeling more nervous than he probably should. He had been friends with Claus and Lucas his whole life. Nothing would go wrong… right? Fuel shook his head. Worry would get him nowhere.

Fuel arrived at the front door of Lucas' house. He knocked once, twice, three times.

No response.

"Hello?" Fuel asked.

After a few seconds of silence, Fuel twisted the doorknob and slowly opened the door. Inside, he saw something that he would never forget.

"Claus!" Fuel shouted, running up to Lucas' twin.

Claus offered a wry smile. He looked almost exactly like Lucas, except for the fact that his hair was red rather than blond.

"Claus!" Fuel repeated. "What happened to your… your…" a lump in Fuel's throat prevented him from finishing the question.

"This?" Claus asked, his voice hard as stone. "It's nothing."

Fuel's jaw dropped.

"You have to be kidding! It's most certainly _something!_ "

Claus shrugged.

"At least I'll be able to walk away from this."

A chill ran down Fuel's spine. What did Claus mean? He _couldn't_ be implying that…

"Still don't see it?" Claus asked, his eyes narrowing. "Look that way."

Claus thrust his thumb to the left. Fuel followed his finger to see something… red.

He gasped in horror, realizing just what had happened. So much red… in that moment, Fuel couldn't comprehend anything _but_ the massive red splotches that covered the ground in front of him. He took a step back, not wanting to believe what he was seeing.

 _Oh no…_


	2. Chapter 1: Blastoff

**Author's Note (Text in bold at the beginning of subsequent chapters are also Author's Notes, if it isn't obvious):**

 **Hey, everyone! It's me again! :D *Cue the groans***

 **So, how did you guys like the Prologue? I just _had_ to throw something ambiguous at you guys to set up the story! :D But from now on, the story will actually follow what it says in the description. My goal for this story is to do a little more showing and a little less telling. I feel like City of Progress was my time to get out the most important ideas that swirled around in my bulbous head, so I kinda just spouted stuff out without really _showing_ those ideas. **

**I don't think that I've ever said this before, but thank you to everyone who stuck through City of Progress. It was pretty amateurish, so... yeah. Hopefully, this one will be better. *Crosses fingers instead of actually editing more to make sure that it's better***

 **Oh, and another goal that I have for this fic is to make sure that _every_ character has a meaningful role. In City of Progress, some of the characters felt kinda lame *Cough* Jeff *Cough*, and I wish to avoid that this time. But the thing is, there are still a _lot_ of characters. Like, maybe George RR Martin level (okay, probably not :P). Getting everyone's story in without making the whole thing seem jumbled will be difficult... but I'm going to try, darn it! **

**Err... I have a confession to make. This story includes a few OCs. Wait, don't click the back button just yet! Give me a chance, here! D: NONE of these OCs are super major characters, and even the ones that have a somewhat meaningful impact mostly appear in later parts of the fic. Also, most of them are teachers at the Ceres school, and all of them are related to a character in the actual games by DNA. Finally (and probably most importantly), I try my hardest to make sure that my OCs don't have the same boring attributes that are stereotypically attributed to them.**

 **Oh, and I've had multiple people ask me about this, so here it is: America and Eagleland are different places. One doesn't lie inside the other or anything like that. The characters in Mother come from America, and the characters in Earthbound come from Eagleland.**

 **Well, thanks for hanging onto this obnoxiously long AN. Time to get to the actual story! :) If you like it (or even if you hate it), please leave a review! Each one helps me out a _ton,_ and I'll respond to each one personally. **

**Disclaimer: I own the mother series... by which I mean that I own copies of the games. :D I don't own the rights to the series itself... or do I? ;)**

* * *

 **Part One: Planet of Opportunity**

 **Fragmented Memories: Diana, 78 A.F, Vulcan**

* * *

 _Everything that I thought I knew has been proven false. I thought that I was a normal person… or as normal as any psion could be. I thought that my family would support me when I needed them. I thought that I had spread god's will across an impoverished planet._

 _Now, the shroud that covered my eyes has been lifted. I can see who I truly am… who we truly are._

 _Is anything that I learned true? Are there truly other planets out there, planets named Ceres, Aphrodite, and Earth? Was there truly an intergalactic empire that fell 78 years ago?_

* * *

Ness stood in the Fourside astroport, feeling a lump form in his throat. He looked at the sleek, metal rocket ship in front of him and stared at his mother.

"Do I really have to go on that?" he asked weakly.

His mother offered a sympathetic smile and embraced Ness. He clung to her, the tightness of his grip showing his inner weakness. Ness was trying to cling onto the past, even though he knew that it wouldn't do any good. He would be forced to leave the life that he knew behind. But Ness couldn't accept that. He couldn't _possibly_ admit that he would fly to the planet Ceres on his own. Not after… that.

"This time will be different," his mother whispered. "Ceres is the most secure planet in the universe. You'll be protected by psions with indescribable power. President Carpainter won't let anything happen to you."

Ness flinched. His mother's sorrowful look worsened.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have said that."

"And why not?" Tracy butted in. She stared at Ness with hard, blue eyes, a frown scrawled on her face. "We all know that Carpainter isn't anything like her father."

 _Her father… her father…_ those words rang in Ness' head. He saw an old man with disgusting blue hair, smiling zealously as he approached Ness with a knife. The blade flashed in the light as the man lunged at Ness. The next moment, the knife floated in the air, inches away from his face. A flash of pain in Ness' head brought him back to the present.

He looked at Tracy in disgust.

"What?" Tracy asked angrily. "Tell me honestly that I'm wrong!"

 _I can't, because you're right,_ Ness thought. _But you don't have to be such an asshole._

He wanted to say those words, but he couldn't force himself to verbalize his thoughts. Not now. Not here. So instead, he sneered and turned back to his mother.

"Tracy," their mother chided. "This is difficult for Ness. Can't you see what he's going through?"

"Well, he needs to get his act together if he doesn't want to get eaten alive on Ceres!" Tracy replied. "If he can't deal with his younger sister, I don't know how he can possibly stand up to full-fledged psions."

Ness felt a chill run down his spine. Would school at Ceres be as competitive as the rumors said?

"I think that you should let Ness worry about that," their mother asserted.

"That's the problem!" Tracy exclaimed. "He'll sit there and worry his head off without doing _anything at all!_ "

"And hearing your voice just makes that worse," Ness whispered.

Tracy looked hurt by Ness' words. This surprised Ness; she hadn't given a psych about him in the past two years.

"Fine!" she shouted. "Attack me! It's all _my_ fault, and not yours for moping around ever since-"

"I think that's enough," Ness' mother interrupted. Her blue eyes flashed with exhaustion.

 _They look so similar,_ Ness thought. _Both Tracy and mom have the same blond hair, blue eyes, and skinny body. How can they look the same but act so different?_

Ness looked at the rocket in front of him. It stood taller than most buildings, especially the ones in Onett. Sleek steel covered the entire exterior, making the ship seem imposing… and _cold,_ somehow. Ness felt his stomach stir when he thought about _getting_ on that thing.

"Do I really have to leave?" Ness asked, even though he knew the answer in his heart.

"I don't want you to go either," his mother replied. "But the government mandates that all children with psionic powers go to school at Ceres from ages 15 to 20. I'm sure that you'll love it once you're there… everyone says that psionic students get wonderful treatment on Ceres."

"I don't want special treatment," Ness whispered. "I just want to stay home."

Ness' mother smiled sadly.

"You'll be safer there," she whispered back. "Nobody will let you get hurt."

"I just can't believe they're still shipping us over to Ceres after what happened on Aphrodite last year," Ness muttered.

"Oh, yeah, because _that's_ why you don't want to go," Tracy cut in.

 _Tracy…_ Ness thought, closing his eyes and tightening his lips as he tried not to bury his anger.

"Please, Tracy," Ness' mother replied. "Do you have to object to everything that Ness says? I know that you're siblings, but you need to tone it down."

"I only argue when Ness doesn't make sense," Tracy replied defensively.

 _And to think that I used to like you,_ Ness thought bitterly.

"Attention," an overhead speaker stated emotionlessly. "Boarding shall commence. All passengers on the ship to Ceres should board immediately. Thank you for your cooperation."

 _This is it,_ Ness thought desperately. _This is my life. I'm going to live on psyching Ceres, of all places!_

Ness hunched his shoulders. More than anything, he just wanted to rewind his life. He wasn't ready to live on his own!

"All right," Ness' mother said, hugging Ness for the second time. "Goodbye, sweetie! We'll be waiting here for you."

Ness nodded, releasing his mother as he felt anxiety tear his soul apart.

Tracy walked up and hugged Ness.

"Goodbye, brother," she whispered.

"Wha…"

"I know that we haven't gotten along during the past couple of years, but I'm still your sister. I care about you, believe it or not."

"Oh," Ness realized out loud. "You rely on my grades for government aid. Right."

"Stop acting like I'm some sort of monster!" Tracy yelled, releasing Ness and shaking her hands in disgust. "I care about your life! Is that so psyching hard to believe?"

"Language, Tracy," their mother chided.

"I don't psyching care!" Tracy exclaimed, turning back to her brother. "Ness… you need to get over your bitterness. Because I still love you. Maybe nostalgia alone drives that love, but you still mean a lot to me. Maybe you should think about _that_ instead of how much your life sucks."

Ness wanted to fight back. He had been conditioned to fight whatever came out of Tracy's mouth. But this time, he didn't react.

"…I'll try," Ness finally said, turning away to enter the rocket ship and start a new life on Ceres.

* * *

Ninten walked through Fourside's astroport, amazed at all of the _steel._ Wherever he looked, he couldn't escape the stuff. The walls… the robots… and of course, the rocket ship right in front of him.

 _How did they possibly get their hands on so much steel?_ He wondered. In Podunk, steel had been scarce and expensive. _And they call us Americans excessive._

Ninten shook his head. Eagleish people were odd. He had only been to Eagleland one time before… and that had been for a special event.

 _How little I knew…_ Ninten thought. _Now I'm a psion… or at least a psionic initiate. Ah, psych it! I can't stand all of the "sophisticated" vocab that goes with psionics._

Ninten sighed. No point in reminiscing about the past. He had to look to the future… Ninten raised his head and examined the sleek rocket in front of him.

 _I go off to Ceres and my family doesn't even care enough to tell me goodbye,_ Ninten thought wryly. _Classic._

Still, he couldn't blame them too harshly. His sisters were too young to understand the implications of life on another planet, and while his parents didn't care a whole lot about him, at least they were _there._

Besides, even if he could blame them harshly, he probably shouldn't. It's not like holding grudges got anything done.

 _Although, that's the same logic that I used when I decided not to make a big fuss about what happened on Aphrodite last year… and that got me a pack of insults._

Ninten shrugged. People were impossible to please. That was how life worked. He resolved to quit thinking and board the rocket ship. Ninten closed his eyes and focused his mind on the image of a golden throne. If he could focus all of his energy on that one thought, he wouldn't stray off the path and find some new idea to immerse himself in.

A minute later, he found himself sitting down in the rocket ship, only able to recall hazily how he got there. Excellent.

Ninten looked up from his seat and saw a large clock on the wall in front of him.

 _Those Eagleish…_ Ninten thought. _Don't they know that nobody really cares about the time during intergalactic flights?_ This clock even included the year, as if some people didn't know that it was 80 A.F!

Ninten cut off his thought as another kid entered his room (the rocket ship had several). He had to blink to make sure that he wasn't dreaming.

This kid looked like something from a cartoon. He wore a white tunic with a black belt squeezed tightly around his waist. He possessed small black eyes that marked him as an Asian. His black hair had mostly been shaved, leaving only a few strands to make up a thin ponytail that swayed whenever he walked. He honestly looked like a kung-fu master… or was it karate? What was the difference? Ninten shook his head. People sometimes got offended when he expressed confusion about other cultures, and he didn't quite know why.

Anyways, this kid had the gall to plop down _right next to Ninten,_ even though there were dozens of open seats around him.

The Asian proceeded to raise his eyebrow at Ninten.

"I thought that you might like some company," he said in an accented voice.

"When did I say that I didn't?" Ninten asked.

"You didn't. Your expression did."

"Fair enough… but I felt more surprised than repulsed. I don't really mind if you sit here."

The kid nodded, seeming relieved.

"Also," Ninten started. "What's with the outfit?"

The Asian kid smiled.

"You know, that question is quite insulting where I come from."

Ninten blinked. _Oops._

"Sorry," Ninten said, not really feeling all that sorry. "I didn't mean to offend."

The kid shook his head, wearing a smirk as his ponytail swayed back and forth.

"I did not mean that _I_ was offended, and I apologize if it came off that way. I rather like the fact that you say what you mean."

Ninten sighed in relief.

"Thanks… and you don't need to apologize," Ninten replied. "Misunderstandings happen. Best to leave them behind."

The Asian kid cocked his head in thought.

"Another foreign thought… in Dalaam, we hold grudges for a long time."

 _Dalaam… of course!_ Ninten thought.

"Everything that I've heard about Dalaam makes it seem like a pretty shitty place," Ninten said. "How do you like it?"

The kid laughed.

"I don't think that anyone has referred to my country like that before. It is rather… crappy, for the most part. Are all Eagleish as blunt as you?"

"Eagleish? Ew. I'm an American."

"Oh!" the Asian exclaimed, his eyes lighting up in concern. "I didn't mean to…"

"Make a mistake?" Ninten offered. "We rarely do. Don't worry, I don't get offended easily. And to answer your question, not everyone here is as blunt as I. I've been called an asshole multiple times for my lack of politeness. But hey, I'm an American. Everyone knows that we're a bunch of fat people who don't understand the meaning of the word 'respect.'"

The kid chuckled.

"That… is what people tell me about Americans. By the way, what is your name?"

"Ninten. What's yours?"

"Poo."

Ninten laughed.

"That's a good one! You really _do_ have a sense of humor, huh?"

The kid smiled.

"No, that's my real name. My father must have gotten into a bad mood when he gave it to me."

Now that Ninten thought about it, that name _did_ seem familiar.

"Poo as in Poo Dalaamas? You know, the crown prince?"

Poo nodded.

"…Oh," Ninten realized out loud. "I talked to a prince and insulted his culture multiple times. Oops."

Poo smirked.

"Prince, no prince, it doesn't matter. And all of your allegations about my culture were true. I much prefer Eagleland, even if the air here smells… dirty. I guess that's just this town; Onett's air smelled fine."

"You've been to Onett?" Ninten asked.

"Of course. I remember seeing you there. You acted really excited after the results…"

"Uh, that's not me. I never get excited about anything, ever. _Especially_ not the results."

Poo raised an eyebrow.

"I could have sworn… and that probably makes me seem ignorant, like I can't tell non-Dalaamians apart. But I swear that you looked the same as the kid that I saw…"

"Dude, you don't seem ignorant. Some people look alike."

"Thanks," Poo said, sighing in relief. "I appreciate it how you don't take offense at what I say."

Ninten shrugged.

"It's nothing. There's no point in getting upset, you know?"

Poo nodded.

"I always felt that way, but nobody else agreed with me. It's nice to find someone with similar beliefs."

"I know," Ninten concurred. "This is going to sound super cliché and stereotypical teenager, but I feel that most people who I grew up with don't really understand me."

Poo smiled shyly.

"That does sound like a stereotypical teenager… but at least you admit it."

"Preparing for takeoff," a mechanical voice spoke through the loudspeaker. "Takeoff initiating in 10…9…"

"Are you nervous?" Poo asked.

"8…"

"Of the blastoff?" Ninten replied.

"7…"

"That and school on Ceres."

"6…"

Ninten paused, rolling that question around in his mind.

"5…"

"Nah. I figure that life will work out in the end."

"4…"

"But what if it doesn't?"

"3…"

"Then I suppose… that I'll end up broken and forgotten."

"2…"

"And that doesn't scare you?"

"1…"

"No. Why worry now? Even if I break, I can line the pieces back up."

"Blastoff."


	3. Chapter 2: Deep Space

_I suppose that in this time of uncertainty, I should start with what I know._

 _My name is Diana Carpainter._

 _My father is a monster._

 _I have inflicted more pain than I can possibly imagine._

* * *

Ninten looked out the window, taking in the dome of stars that surrounded the lonely rocket ship.

"We're in deep space," he noted.

Poo looked out the window, his expression remaining neutral.

"Everyone says that space carries a primal beauty, but I just don't see it," the Dalaamian said sadly.

Ninten sighed.

"I don't either. It feels like nothing has the power to surprise me anymore."

Poo nodded, looking out into the vast expanse in front of him with wide eyes.

"Surprise… fascination… I feel like those emotions died in me a long time ago." Poo shook his head. "But I act dramatic. I am sure that the universe has plenty that can excite me, but I just don't _feel_ it."

"Yeah…" Ninten whispered. "When did this happen to us?"

"I can pinpoint a certain moment," Poo answered. "Can you?"

Ninten cocked his head in thought, feeling more than a bit disturbed.

"No," he finally answered. "But hey, enough _thinking._ Let's go explore this ship. It should be safe, now that the ship stopped accelerating. There are other rooms, right?"

"I believe so," Poo replied. "After all, this ship is quite large."

"Think of how much steel was required to build this thing," Ninten mused out loud. "Where do these Eagleish get their materials?"

Poo raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't America rather industrial itself?"

"Well… sort of," Ninten answered. "We have cities that put Fourside to shame, but the country is rural for the most part. The industrialism thing came relatively recently, starting after the empire's fall."

"Ah."

"But talking is for losers. Let's go exploring."

Ninten took off walking towards a metal door.

"You seem like someone who would like talking," Poo said, cocking his head in confusion.

Ninten halted.

"What makes you say that?" He demanded pointedly.

"I don't know, but it wasn't an insult."

"I never said…"

"Again, your tone and facial expression gave it away."

Ninten sighed.

"I don't know why I viewed your words as an insult. I'm sorry." He shook his head and continued walking.

"I am still curious," Poo said. "Why do you not like talking?"

"Because talking is for losers," Ninten said flatly.

Poo smiled.

"I want to hear the real reason."

Ninten closed his eyes.

"I just don't feel like talking can make a difference in this world," he managed.

"Ah, there we disagree," Poo replied. "I believe that words have the power to change the world."

Ninten snorted.

"That's ridiculous. But hey, I doubt that my pointed views will convince you. Let's drop this, all right?"

Poo shrugged, indicating that he didn't seem to think that it was a big deal.

"I… didn't mean to sound so annoyed there," Ninten said. "I'm really not."

Poo looked into Ninten's eyes.

"You know, I think that you're the first person who I've ever heard say those words truthfully."

"Well, I guess I'm first at _something,_ " Ninten replied wryly and strode up to the sleek, white door, sliding it open.

Outside the room lay a curved hallway, presumably covering the inside perimeter of the rocket ship. To his left and right, Ninten saw a set of stairs that curved up and down.

"May I ask you something?" Poo spoke.

"Er… sure."

"Why does it seem like you're taking this in for the first time? I mean, you saw all of this when you came onto the ship."

Except that Ninten hadn't. He had been too focused on the image of the golden throne in his mind to notice much else, but he couldn't just _say_ that.

"I… um…"

"It's fine if you don't want to share," Poo added.

"I… uh… think that I'll remain silent on this one," Ninten finished.

Poo nodded. Ninten sighed in relief.

"So, shall we go down or up, fearless captain?" Poo asked, his eye revealing a glint of humor.

Ninten shot a glare at the Dalaamian.

"Cut the sarcasm."

Poo grinned. The expression looked out of place on his normally reserved face.

"Me? Sarcastic? I would never…"

"Please?" Ninten interrupted.

Poo chuckled.

"All right. For some reason, it is just so easy to pick on you!"

Ninten rolled his eyes.

"I'm _so_ glad."

Poo broke out into full-blown laughter.

"Anyways, I think that we should go down," Ninten said, ignoring Poo's outburst. "Going up just leads to the pilot's room, right?"

"I would presume so."

"So down we go!"

"Aye, aye, captain!"

Ninten shot another glare at Poo and walked down the curved staircase. His footsteps sounded loudly on the metal stairs. Poo followed, somehow managing to create no sound when he treaded on the steps.

On the floor below, another white door lead to another room.

"Should we enter?" Poo asked.

"Sure," Ninten replied and barged in, not bothering to knock.

In the room, he saw a person that looked _exactly_ like him. Well, maybe not exactly, but close enough that it made Ninten wonder if he had found a long-lost twin. This kid had the exact same jet black hair, the same dark eyes, and the same stocky build. Heck, even his _baseball cap_ looked similar to Ninten's. However, this kid looked different than Ninten in one key way.

He seemed downright furious.

Ninten followed his potential doppelganger's venomous gaze. His eyes arrived at another kid, this one plump and blond-haired. The fat kid's eyes shone triumphantly for a second before widening in shock as he saw Ninten enter the room.

"Where are your manners?" the chubby kid asked. "You're supposed to knock before-"

"Before you barge in on a bullying session," Ninten's doppelganger whispered loathingly.

"That's only because you're a wimp!" the chubby kid yelled.

"Excuse me," Poo said as he entered the room. "But what might your names be?"

"Ness," Ninten's doppelganger whispered.

"Pokey," the fat kid spat.

 _Weird names,_ Ninten thought. _Although more normal than "Poo."_

"Greetings," Poo said with a bow. "My name is Poo and this is Ninten. Now, what exactly happened between you two?"

Right as he said that, another kid entered from outside the room. This kid had blond hair and blue eyes like Pokey, although the glasses that he wore made him seem nerdy. He adopted a curious frown upon seeing the scene before him.

"…And what might your name be?" Poo asked the newcomer.

"Jeff. What happened here?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Ninten answered.

Ness shrunk back into his seat, staring at Pokey with enough loathing to freeze a pond.

"I'm just telling this kid how _pathetic_ he is," Pokey explained triumphantly, looking at Ness and smirking condescendingly. "This kid is _afraid_ of travelling through space. How silly is that?"

"Considering that getting stranded due to a loss of psionic fuel would mean certain death, I don't think it's silly at all," Jeff answered evenly.

"Personally, I think that it's sillier that _you_ have to pick on him to get any enjoyment in your _pathetic_ excuse for a life," Ninten answered with a sneer.

Pokey's glare turned venomous.

"See?" Ninten asked. "Now you feel like shit because I took a dump on you. That's how Ness felt. Maybe you should consider that."

"Psych off," Pokey muttered.

"While you verbally assault someone else?" Poo asked in reply. "I think not."

Pokey's glance darted from Ninten to Jeff to Poo, not finding any support among them. He scowled.

"Why are you guys attacking me? I could report you to my father, you know."

"We're not attacking you," Jeff replied with a frown. "Although we probably should. Bullying is rather disgusting."

Pokey's face flushed red with anger. He looked once again at the faces of his adversaries and shied back, seeming to recognize that he couldn't beat them in an argument.

"I'll be back for you, wimp!" he snarled at Ness and darted out of the room, trying to preserve what little dignity he had left.

Ninten sighed.

"I _hate_ people like him."

"Who doesn't?" Jeff asked. "It's always sad to see human beings descend to that level."

"Thank you," Ness whispered. "When you first came in, I thought that you would side with Pokey."

"Why would we?" Jeff asked, his eyes widening in horror.

"I… am a wimp, just like he said," Ness responded. "I thought that you would make fun of me for it."

"You're not a wimp!" Jeff instantly responded.

"There's nothing wrong with being a wimp," Ninten replied with a good-natured smile.

Ness blinked then looked at Ninten with a startled expression.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked softly, his beady eyes scanning Ninten's face.

"Weak or strong doesn't matter. Morals determine a person's worth, not strength. And even strength did, you have plenty of time to improve."

"I… thanks," Ness whispered. "You guys are so much nicer than the people in Onett."

"You come from Onett?" Jeff asked curiously.

Ness gulped and nodded.

"That's so cool!" Jeff exclaimed. "Growing up in the most psionically important town in the world… that sounds awesome!"

Ninten raised an eyebrow at Jeff. The blonde's enthusiasm seemed over the top for such a mundane occurrence.

"It was just like any other town," Ness explained, "Except I got awakened."

"That's a pretty big 'except,'" Ninten pointed out.

"…I suppose."

"Well, congratulations!" Jeff exclaimed. "Most people don't even have that opportunity."

 _I think that I saw Jeff at the awakening…_ Ninten thought. _If I remember correctly, he didn't gain any psionic powers. He seemed rather pissed, if I recall correctly._

"Why should I feel glad that I have psionic powers?" Ness asked. "It just makes me a target."

"There are so many things that psionics can do!" Jeff replied. "They give you a certain level of freedom that most people don't have."

Ness sighed.

"Freedom… power… do those really matter?"

"Of course they do!" Jeff replied enthusiastically. "Don't you want to change the world for the better?"

"I… guess that I did."

 _But you don't anymore?_ Ninten wondered. Jeff didn't seem to pick up on that implication.

"See?" the blond asked. "Psionics will let you do that!"

"Ness, how about you just give life on Ceres a try for a few days?" Ninten asked. "Who knows? You might even like it. And if you don't, we'll be there for you. Right, Jeff?"

Jeff nodded, breaking into a sunny grin.

"Of course!"

"I guess I can do that," Ness whispered. "Thanks, guys. I was so scared that I would be alone on Ceres… but now I have people who I can turn to. I feel so relieved… and that relief might be enough to push me forward."

"I know," Ninten said wistfully. "Most people don't really listen, huh? They hear your words, but they don't _care._ Finding those that actually do results in a certain level of euphoria."

Ness' expression turned curious.

"Do you speak from personal experience?"

Ninten blinked.

"I guess I do… but I prefer not to think much about my past in general. I always try to look forward, leaving the past behind."

Ness looked uncomfortable.

"You don't have to agree with me," Ninten added. "But that's what I think. Feel free to tell me that I'm dead wrong if you want, but I won't lie and say that I do look to the past when I don't."

Some of Ness' discomfort seemed to flee.

"I… guess that I disagree," he managed nervously. "I'm just used to living with someone who tries to push her beliefs onto others."

"Well, I don't think that we'll ever do that," Jeff offered with a smile. "At least, I won't."

 _You sure about that?_ Ninten wondered. _Some people pressure others with their beliefs unintentionally._

"And I won't as well," Ninten added. "After all, I despise people who do."

Ness smiled weakly.

"Perhaps life on Ceres won't be so bad, so long as I have you two."

"Two?" Ninten asked. "Not Poo?"

"Well, considering that he left…"

"Wait, What?"

Ninten looked around, finding no sign of the Dalaamian.

"I didn't notice either," Jeff said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Wait, you guys didn't see him? He paced out the room a while ago, looking startled about something."

 _But what could have startled him?_ Ninten wondered.

"Oh well," Jeff replied, shaking his head. "We don't really need him, anyway."

"Taking the word 'need' literally, yes," Ninten responded, feeling annoyance seep into his voice. "But we should still care about him. Maybe he has a problem that we can help with."

Jeff through his hands up in surrender.

"All right, all right…"

Ninten felt the urge to scowl.

"I wasn't attacking you, Jeff."

"You kind of sounded like it," Ness whispered nervously.

Ninten blinked, feeling concern replace anger.

"Well, I'm sorry if it came off that way," Ninten said.

"No problem," Jeff replied, although his smile seemed somewhat forced.

 _If you hate my guts, just say it!_ Ninten wanted to shout.

"Attention," the monotone speaker voice announced. "Preparing to enter a porthole."

Jeff's face lit up.

"Wow! We get to go through an actual porthole!"

 _How else would we get to Ceres?_ Ninten wondered. _It's 2.5 million light years away._

Ness, however, looked confused.

"Aren't they called wormholes?"

"These are different," Jeff explained excitedly. "Wormholes occur naturally, while psionics power the portal that we will pass through."

"Does that mean that the captain is a psion?" Ness asked.

"Actually, no," Jeff answered, "This ship is equipped with psionic gear that allows the pilot to travel through extradimensional space. Wild, huh?"

Ness looked confused again.

"Extradimensional space lies outside of the universe," Ninten explained. "Imagine the universe as a flat object. The extradimensional space would be the area above and below the universe."

"Wouldn't time rather than extradimensional space be the third dimension, in that situation?" Jeff asked. "Since 3D is reduced to 2D, shouldn't 4D be reduced to 3D?

 _Yes, but I need to keep this simple,_ Ninten thought with a scowl.

"Whatever," Ninten muttered. "Basically, we can access this space from anywhere in the universe by using psionics. Extradimensional space breaks the laws of physics, allowing us to go pretty much wherever we want in an instant."

Jeff nodded.

"I'm impressed that you knew so much about that," he told Ninten.

 _Yeah, because I'm stupid, right?_

"So you explained that space as lying 'between dimensions,'" Ness recalled out loud. "Does that mean that we could use that extra-whatever-space to travel to other dimensions?"

"Possibly," Ninten replied. "The most powerful psions on Ceres are working with that issue as we speak."

"How do you know that?" Jeff asked.

Ninten blinked and then scowled.

"It just came to my head, okay?"

"No need to act so prickly," Jeff replied with a sigh.

Ninten supposed that he _had_ acted a bit harsh. For some reason, people questioning his knowledge really bugged him.

"Sorry," Ninten muttered.

"Looks like we're going into a portal," Ness observed nervously.

Ninten looked out the window and saw a purple portal in front of the ship. Normally, Ninten didn't worry about much of anything, but the prospect of travelling via portal made him nervous. Ninten looked over to Ness, whose face started to pale.

"We'll be fine," Jeff announced. "Don't worry!"

 _Saying "don't worry," doesn't actually make anyone worry less,_ Ninten thought.

As if to prove his point, Ness' face paled further. He squeezed his eyes shut. Ninten continued to watch the purple portal grow nearer. He over to Jeff, who regarded the portal with wonder. That kid always seemed too excited for his own good.

After what seemed like years of waiting, the metal tip of the rocket pierced the portal, sliding through without slowing. The rest of the ship followed through the portal in the blink of an eye.

Ninten expected extradimensional space to look black, but it just looked… clear. He didn't know how to describe it other than that. Clear. Nothingness stretched out as far as the eye could see.

"Whoa…" Jeff said his voice filled to the brim with awe.

Ninten watched as the rocket ship circled around the universe, which appeared as a bubble the size of a large house. Inside that bubble, Ninten could see superclusters light up the dark sky. He stared at the bubble in wonder, not quite able to believe that he was viewing the universe _from the outside._ And to see the entire universe shrunk down to the size of a building…

Ninten cut off his thought as a portal appeared on the bubble's surface. Through that gate, Ninten could see a lonely, grey planet. The only indication of human activity from this view was the large, purple lump on the planet's surface.

 _That must be Ceres,_ Ninten thought. He had expected it to look more… lively.

Without hesitation, the rocket ship blasted through the portal, emerging back into the physical world. The view of Ceres became a reality.

"That was awesome!" Jeff shouted.

"We can agree on that," Ninten replied, feeling his voice petering out after seeing the entire universe as a bubble.

* * *

Poo watched from the upstairs cabin as the rocket ship emerged from the place of nothingness back into the real world. He could hear Jeff and Ninten chatting downstairs. Poo felt a vile sense of longing enter his heart. He _so badly_ wanted to join them… but he had risked too much already.

 _No socializing. A prince of Dalaam has a reputation to uphold._

It sucked royally, but what could Poo do? If he stepped out of line… he knew what would happen. Poo closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

 _Can I trust you to uphold our family's honor?_

 _You won't act rebellious just because I won't be there, right?_

Poo wanted to scream, but such an action would not be fit for a prince. He had to hold his emotions in. Work now, play later… or probably never, in Poo's case.

"Welcome to Ceres," the speaker voice announced.

 _Yes,_ Poo thought bitterly. _Welcome to Ceres, where children go to learn the best methods of killing._

Killing others… and themselves.


	4. Chapter 3: Arrival

**I'm away on another trip, so it took me a while to crank this chapter out. It went slower than I expected, so not a whole lot happens, plotwise. :( Sorry. I have chapter 4 written but not edited, so I'm hoping to get that one up here soon. Trust me, that one has more stuff to it.**

 **All right, a few things that I need to clear up:**

 **-This story is going to be longer than City of Progress. Right now I'm imagining that it will be around 150k long, which means that it will probably _actually_ end up being 200-250k. Scary... :O **

**-There's a lot of worldbuilding and explaining in these early chapters. Most of it relates to the plot in some way.**

 **-Unlike City of Progress, there's a decent amount of foreshadowing and little hints about character in these chapters. See if you can spot them! :)**

 **-For you astronomy buffs out there, you'll know that there's a dwarf planet called Ceres. The Ceres that I'm writing about is different. It's in the Andromeda galaxy. Don't ask me where in the Andromeda galaxy because I don't know enough about its structure to give any sort of response. :)**

 **-Technology is in a pretty interesting place right now. Psionics have been around for thousands of years, so that's changed stuff up. You'll see what I mean in the next few chapters. ;)**

 **-This story is set in 198X in today's time, but for the people living in it, it's 80 A.F.**

 **-Pretty much all of the kids are going to be the same age, even if they aren't in their games. If you're wondering how I can possibly do that, remember that this is an AU. :) Stranger things will happen.**

 **-I still may or may not own the mother series. ;)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **SuperMarioFan5000: Well, it's not your fault for missing them. ;) It took me a few minutes to put the next couple of chapters up. I was thinking "Nobody's going to read the prologue before I get these chapters up," and then I got a review. :x Oops. Glad to see that you're enjoying this story already! And thanks for the catch! Totally my bad. **

**OrangeFlight of** **ShadowClan: Thanks! :) As for Claus killing someone, I can neither confirm nor deny that. Yes, I'm insufferable. :D Well, it's nice to see that you like Ness again! :) I think that he might be the character that develops most throughout the story (again). But who knows what will happen, especially since I only have a foggy idea of what's going to happen during the second half of this story?**

 **Hey, I don't mind you talking about your stories! In fact, I think that it's super cool how we talk about the same stuff! :D Writers for the win!**

 **Just A Fan: Thanks! :) I feel like Ness' and Ninten's POVs will be darker... I have a Jeff POV this chapter and it seems a bit lighter, at least to me. And after everyone gets settled down on Ceres, things might start to lighten up... at least until further conflicts occur.**

 **A Fan:** **Don't apologize for being late to review! :) Really, I don't mind and I respect your time.**

 **At the start of the prologue it says that it happened four years ago. As for the red, that's open to interpretation. :) And remember that Fuel saw "Massive red splotches." Probably indicates at least a medium-sized wound.**

 **Just because something appears in Ness' mind doesn't mean it's a flashback. I'm not going to tell you whether or not it is (obviously not because I haven't decided yet... I would _never_ do that. ;D). The scene is set in Fourside, and America is a separate country from Eagleland (It said in EB Beginnings that Ninten lives in America, so I'm playing with that). And yeah, the first couple of chapters can kinda be confusing when you don't really know what's going on, huh?**

 **Yep, Poo's restrictions don't make a whole lot of sense. I'll let him explain more when he's ready (which isn't this chapter). :) And I talk about the not having psionic powers and going to Ceres thing this chapter. Are you psychic or something? :P Hm... I suppose that I can answer at least _one_ of your plot-related questions. No, the school on Ceres isn't a Sith-training zone or anything close to that. Still could be a military training thing, though. :) **

**Ah, yes, this AN turned out quite long... although shorter than some of the City of Progress ones. How did I possibly find so much to talk about? xD**

* * *

 _Pain… it's something that we tend to forget after it happens. Looking back, I cannot experience physical pain through memory alone. That is why the pain that I caused does not worry me as much as the psychological torment that the victims will continue to experience._

 _Because while pain is fleeting, anguish can remain forever._

* * *

Jeff looked out at black and grey splotches that made up the planet Ceres.

 _Wow,_ he thought. _I'm going to live there! My dream is finally coming true!_

Jeff squinted, barely able to make out a glowing, purple line stretching out from Ceres. He felt a sense of excitement rush through his body.

"What are you looking at?" Ness asked softly, walking next to Jeff and squinting.

"Do you see that little purple line stretching out from Ceres there?" Jeff asked. "That's the Gate to Prosperity."

" _That_ is the Gate to Prosperity?" Ness asked. "I expected it to be… more."

 _More than a small purple line originating at a distant planet… I guess I can see why he would be underwhelmed,_ Jeff thought. _Still, it's awesome!_

"Well, I still think that a space elevator of any sort deserves excitement," Jeff replied, feeling the need to defend the Gate for some reason.

Ness sighed.

"I suppose… I just find it difficult to get excited about anything on Ceres."

"Why?" Jeff inquired. "You have psionic powers, right? There should be loads for you to do!"

Ninten snorted.

"If he's on this ship, of course he has psionic powers."

Jeff didn't know how to feel about Ninten. On the one hand, he seemed like a genuinely good person. On the other hand, he could act like an insensitive jerk at times. Jeff wanted to reach out to him, but he didn't know how Ninten would react. Maybe Jeff was imagining things, but he got the feeling that Ninten didn't like him very much.

"Well, I don't, and here I am," Jeff countered.

Ninten raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Why go to Ceres?"

"I wanted to learn about psionics," Jeff replied defensively. Who was this kid to question Jeff's goals? "My dream is to be a psigeneer when I grow up."

"A psionic engineer?" Ninten asked. "Really?"

"Why not?"

Ninten shrugged.

"I would think that you would wish to avoid affiliating with that… profession."

"Why?" Jeff asked, furrowing his brow.

"Huh? You don't know?"

Jeff shook his head, feeling a surge of curiosity race through his veins. He _had_ to know this.

"I… think that you should remain in ignorance," Ninten said shakily. "You'll be happier that way."

"Please, tell me!" Jeff exclaimed. "What's wrong with my dream profession?"

"Nothing," Ninten responded curtly. "Have fun and enjoy your life."

Jeff turned away, fuming in anger. If that kid wanted to act like a jerk, Jeff couldn't stop him.

"So, Ness," Jeff said, trying to act friendly. "Don't you think that the Gateway to Prosperity is super cool? I mean, it must be several kilometers long, and it goes _straight up._ "

"I… guess," Ness replied halfheartedly.

"Come on!" Jeff exclaimed. "It _has_ to be more exciting than that. Just think about it!"

"It's not _that_ exciting," Ninten butted in. "I mean, I admire the person who thought of that, but in the end it's really just an application of centrifugal force."

"What?" Ness asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"You know, centrifugal force?" Ninten asked. "When you spin something and its contents move to the outside?"

"Er…" Ness answered.

"It's okay if you've never heard of it," Ninten replied with a friendly smile. "And it's okay if you don't understand it. Knowing how the Gate works doesn't really matter."

"I feel stupid for never having heard of this stuff," Ness muttered.

"Don't," Ninten responded resolutely. "I learned most of what I know from my father. He was a universe-class teacher, apparently. And I bet Jeff here had a quality education as well."

"I did," Jeff admitted. "I agree with Ninten. Don't feel bad for your lack of knowledge! After all, you never had the chance to learn this stuff."

Ninten shot Jeff a gaze at seemed to say "I don't need your assistance." Jeff shrugged.

"Anyways," Jeff continued, trying to move past Ninten's annoyed look. "I wonder how they built the Gate. Even though Ceres has less gravity than Earth, finding a material strong yet light enough to build a tunnel long enough to reach space would be next to impossible…"

"Boron nitrides," Ninten answered. "That's how they did it. It forms a lattice stronger than diamond but is far cheaper to produce. They enforce that lattice with some psionics that I don't understand, which causes the Gate to turn purple."

 _I bet he made that up on the spot,_ Jeff thought. But since he didn't know the answer, he couldn't call Ninten out for it.

Ness seemed to sense the hostility between Ninten and Jeff, as he turned to Ninten and spoke:

"You said that your father was a universe-class teacher?"

That seemed to catch Ninten off guard. His eyes scanned the white room, as if searching for an escape route.

"I didn't mean to let that slip…" Ninten said.

"Well, no point in denying it now," Jeff piped in. "Do you want to tell us more about your father?"

"No," came the unwavering answer.

Ness sighed.

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves more thoroughly?" he offered.

Jeff and Ninten nodded, both of them likely wanting to latch onto a topic that wouldn't provoke hostility.

"I guess I'll start," Ninten said. "I grew up in a small American town called Podunk. I have twin sisters named Minnie and Mimmie. They're both ten years old. I get along pretty well with Mimmie, but not so much with Minnie. I enjoy playing baseball."

Jeff nodded.

"Is that it?" he asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," Ninten replied. "My life's boring."

"I guess I'll go next," he said. "My full name is Jeffrey Andonuts, and my father is Dr. Andonuts. We both share a fascination with psionics. He was the one that gave me the idea of travelling to Ceres. Have you two heard of him?"

Ninten nodded.

"Who hasn't?"

"I haven't," Ness whispered.

"Well, now you have," Ninten replied without missing a beat, "So no harm done."

Ness didn't seem to agree with Ninten, but he remained silent.

 _Ness is way too hard on himself,_ Jeff thought. _And I don't think that Ninten is hard enough on himself._

"Anyways," Jeff continued. "I grew up in Winters, a small town in Eagleland. I've never been into sports, preferring to learn about psionics, math, and science instead. I think that's all."

Ness fidgeted nervously.

"You don't have to introduce yourself if you don't want to," Ninten offered.

"No, I can." Ness took a deep breath. "I'm Ness and I come from Onett… but you guys already knew that. My life has been pretty uneventful overall. I have a sister named Tracy… but we don't get along too well. I have a dog named King and I enjoy playing baseball, just like Ninten. I even packed some equipment."

"Playing baseball is going to be rough on Ceres," Ninten replied with a smirk. "After all, there's less gravity there than on Earth."

Ness stared out of the window into the infinite black that surrounded the ship. His eyes looked forlorn and his shoulders seemed to bear an invisible burden.

"I… didn't think about that."

"I'm sure that you can find some way to make it work!" Jeff exclaimed.

"I hope so," Ness replied with a heavy sigh.

 _Come on, cheer up!_

"Looks like we're almost at the Gate," Ninten noted.

Jeff peeked out the window and saw the long, purple cylinder stretching out below the ship. Large pores were scattered across the otherwise closed face of the cylinder.

"The ship will land right above one of those holes," Jeff explained, "And then we will get into an elevator to head down the Gate."

"Why does Ceres need the Gate in the first place?" Ness asked. "I've never understood that."

Jeff paused. Why _did_ Ceres need a space elevator?

"Look below you," Ninten replied.

Even though his words were directed at Ness, Jeff complied with the request. He looked down and saw a translucent purple dome. Inside, he could see distorted buildings that made up a city.

 _Of course!_ Jeff thought. _How did I not figure that out earlier?_

"That's a psionic force field," Ninten continued. "It blocks everything from entering and exiting, meaning that this ship can't pass through. These holes in the space elevator provide the only way to Ceres, which is why the Gate really is a _gate_."

"Why do we need a force field, though?"

"If we didn't, we would have to walk around everywhere in spacesuits," Ninten answered. "The atmosphere here cannot support life. So hundreds of years back, a group of powerful psions combined their strength to create an Earthlike atmosphere on Ceres while simultaneously activating the device that created the force field."

"A device created _that?_ " Ness asked in disbelief.

Ninten smirked.

"Yeah, did you think that psions were constantly powering it?"

"I guess not…"

"The force field around Ceres requires an unimaginable amount of psionic energy," Jeff piped in. "So much energy that the Shard of Ceres has to power it."

Ninten raised an eyebrow, his eyes seeming to say: "Why did you feel the need to butt in there?"

"The Shard powers that force field…" Ness said in wonder. "I guess it makes sense. I don't know of any other psionic sources powerful enough to provide energy for something like that."

"See? Isn't this stuff cool?" Jeff asked.

Ness' face darkened and his shoulders slouched.

 _Wrong thing to say…?_ Jeff wondered

"Arriving at destination," the monotone voice said from the microphone.

Jeff looked out of the window eagerly as he witnessed the ship land right over one of the pores.

"Exits to the vessel are located below you. You should find a latch, open it, and climb down into an elevator. Thank you for flying with Andonuts Spaceways."

"Let's go!" Jeff shouted. "What are we waiting for?"

"Why so eager?" Ninten asked, looking down at the Gate with worry.

"This is _exciting!_ " Jeff exclaimed. "Think of all the opportunities that we'll have!"

Ninten sighed.

"You may be right. Either way, dawdling here will gain us nothing. You ready to head out, Ness?"

Ness nodded, although his face seemed paler than it had a minute ago.

Jeff walked out of the room and headed down a winding staircase. He reached the bottom level and quickly found the latch that the announcer spoke of. He lifted it and hoisted himself down into the elevator below. There, he came face to face with someone whom he already loathed.

"Hello, Pokey," Jeff greeted coolly.

Even in the dim light that the elevator provided, Jeff could easily make out Pokey's snarl.

"Here to harass me more, nerd?" the chubby kid asked.

"Only if you attack Ness again," the nerd replied with a good-natured smile.

The two of them stood in the cramped elevator, glaring at each other for what seemed like hours. Eventually, more people arrived to break the silence.

"Poo, are you sure?" Ninten asked from outside.

The latch opened and Ness, Ninten, and Poo scaled down the ladder and stepped into the elevator. Ness' eyes flashed with alarm as he saw Pokey. He flattened himself against the edge of the elevator, his posture stiff and his eyes pinned on the bully.

"I told you, Ninten," Poo answered, his eyes lighting up with worry upon seeing Pokey. "That wasn't your fault."

Ninten didn't even seem to notice Pokey there; he looked fully immersed in his conversation with Poo.

"Well, I won't badger you anymore, but _please_ tell me if this really is my fault," he said, concern flooding his voice. "I know that I tend to act like an asshole sometimes, so I need people to tell me when I act like an asshole or else I'll never improve. I wouldn't want to make you feel perpetually uncomfortable!"

Poo released a heavy sigh.

"Thanks, Ninten. I really appreciate that you're making this effort to reach out to me… Which is why I hope that you believe me when I say that this _really isn't your fault._ "

Ninten smiled.

"Sure," he replied. "And even if you're lying and your sudden departure was my fault, it's on you to tell me that."

Poo nodded, looking at Pokey nervously. Ninten turned his focus to the bully and seemed to snap awake.

"Whoa! I didn't see you there, Pokey."

"How could you possibly miss me?" Pokey replied, his venomous voice provoking no reaction from the Podunk boy. "After all, I'm _fat._ "

"You are," Ninten concurred, "And you seem to beat yourself up for that. Why?"

 _Ninten has no finesse,_ Jeff thought.

Pokey shot a glare at Ninten to indicate that he felt the same way. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it.

"It's cool if you don't want to respond," Ninten added. "I get that some issues are personal."

Pokey's glare darkened further. Jeff looked at Ninten, who didn't seem to care that another human being was shooting a look of pure loathing at him.

 _Strange kid,_ Jeff thought.

"So, er…" Ness spoke up. "How do we send this thing down?"

 _Oh yeah,_ Jeff realized. _We're stuck in a stagnant elevator. This is awkward…_

"Well, there's a button that says 'down' right behind Pokey," Ninten answered with a smirk. "So my best guess is pushing that one."

"Oh…" Ness replied, looking down the floor and shuffling his feet. "I should have seen that."

"Well, I missed that too, so it's okay," Jeff comforted.

A weak smile lit up on Ness' face.

 _Ness needs to raise his self-esteem,_ Jeff thought. _I wonder if he's always been this hard on himself…_

"So, Pokey," Ninten spoke. "Would you mind pushing that button? I'm sure that you don't like seeing us any more than we like seeing you."

Pokey shot a sneer at Ninten.

"You insult me and then you just _expect_ me to comply with your requests?" the bully demanded.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ninten answered. "After all, you probably want to escape my naturally offensive personality, right?"

Pokey's face flushed a bright red. Jeff could see the internal struggle written plainly on his face. Pokey wanted to fight everything that came out of Ninten's mouth by instinct, but he actually agreed with the Podunk boy this time.

"So, are you going to push the switch?" Ninten asked.

"No," Pokey answered, his eyes daring Ninten to challenge him.

Ninten sighed.

"I didn't want to do this, but we _do_ need to land on Ceres eventually…" he trailed off as he stepped forward.

Pokey matched Ninten's step, his hands balled into fists. Ninten shook his head and lunged forward, managing to press the button before Pokey knocked him to the ground. Ninten hopped to his feet, looking at Pokey's enraged face with confusion.

"You couldn't let me have control over that one _psyching_ button, could you?" Pokey roared. "You can't even leave the _crumbs_ for me, huh?"

"I gave you a chance," Ninten replied evenly, "But you acted stubborn out of spite. So I decided to do what needed to be done."

Pokey sneered. Before he could respond, Ness walked up to Ninten, his wide eyes betraying concern.

"Ninten," Ness whispered. "Are you all right?"

"Me?" Ninten asked.

 _Who else?_ Jeff thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ninten continued. "I just got a few bruises at worst."

That didn't seem to comfort Ness at all.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ninten answered.

"Really?"

"Yep."

At this point, Poo walked over and faced Ness.

"Ness, I think that Ninten really _is_ fine. Remember his conversation with me? He recognizes that if he really has a problem, he should speak up. The fact that he didn't protest means that he really doesn't care."

"Oh," Ness replied. "Did I nag you, Ninten?"

"Nah, I really don't mind," Ninten replied with a smirk. "People in Podunk act so much worse. Truly, you don't know the definition of 'control freak' until you've visited a small town in America at least once."

Jeff thought that he heard Poo mutter something about Dalaam, but he didn't feel sure enough to inquire further.

The elevator started to slow down.

"Are we almost there already?" Poo asked. "These machines provide more efficiency than I thought."

"Yep!" Jeff exclaimed. "It's amazing… and my father designed a lot of this! Well, not the Gate itself, but he made improvements on the structure."

Poo raised an eyebrow.

"My father is Dr. Andonuts," Jeff explained.

"Like… the guy who thought up all of those psionic appliances when he was about your age?" Poo asked. "You know, those fancy new 'telephones' and 'automobiles'?"

"Yeah! Isn't it amazing?"

"That is pretty cool," Ness answered politely. "I didn't know that your father did so much, Jeff."

"I agree with Ness," Poo added. "Your father sounds like a wonderful person."

"It makes you feel like you have to live up to his name, doesn't it?" Ness asked.

Jeff blinked. How had Ness known…?

"Yes," Jeff answered, looking into Ness' deep eyes and finding a twinge of sorrow.

 _Did something happen to him?_ Jeff wondered.

The elevator jerked to a stop.

"You might want to ask you dad about the sudden stops," Ninten teased.

Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get out of this cramped elevator."

Right as he said that, the door opened, leading the way to a new world full of new opportunities.

* * *

Grass. Ninten was walking on grass.

 _I didn't expect Ceres to be so much like Earth…_ he thought.

Looking up above, he saw a purple dome above him. Any view outside of the dome was distorted and blurry. It made him feel like he was trapped in some sort of amber. Ninten shivered. He _hated_ feeling trapped. With a sigh, Ninten took a step forward and almost fell over from the lack of gravitational resistance that his leg encountered on the way up.

 _It will take a while to get used to this…_ he realized.

He shook his head and started hopping around. Much easier. He looked behind to see his acquaintances struggling with the reduced gravity.

"Try hopping!" Ninten shouted, trying to make himself heard over the bustling nearby. "It looks silly, but it really helps!"

Suddenly, Ninten saw a flash of dark in the near distance.

 _What… was that?_ he wondered. _That shape of that flash make me think that that it was a person… and he or she must have bounded away for whatever reason._

 _But why conceal yourself in the first place?_

Ninten had plenty of time to ponder that as he hopped through the streets of Ceres.


	5. Chapter 4: Nobles and Commoners

**Hey, look who's back! :D**

 **Not much to say for this chapter, since I got most of my explanations out in my last AN. So I guess that I'm just going to answer my review and then give you the chapter. :)**

 **Review Response:**

 **A Fan** **: Hey, no problem! :) I would rather get your full thoughts than have them all be in order! Ah, yes, the Shard will play a role in all of this. :) But it's going to take a while. DX I sometimes feel like I have too much going on in this fic... I guess we'll see. :)**

 **I'm not going to respond to your theory, other than to say that it's very well thought out. :) I don't want to tip off anyone to the plot, after all... and yeah, I think that I could still pull this story together even if everyone knew the plot, assuming that I tried really hard. I mostly focus on the characters rather than the plot while I'm writing, anyway.**

 **Thanks! :D I was a bit concerned that the first few chapters would be too explanatory, but I think that I found a system that works (although I'm not sure how well). I have characters explain stuff in ways that also adds personality (like how Jeff explaining stuff reveals his nerdiness). Now I just need to make sure that I keep my characters in character and create characters that would logically explain the stuff that I want explained.**

 **Huh, I've honestly never thought about writing scripts for video games. But yeah, that is something that I might want to look out for! I guess I have all of next year and college to decide what I'm going to do... wow, that doesn't seem that long, when I look at it. xD**

 **Well, thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate all of the time and effort you spend reviewing my fanfics, and it _totally_ helps! :D**

* * *

 _Do I really want to wash out my guilt? After all, I deserve to suffer. Perhaps I should kill myself…_

 _No._

 _I cannot give up. I cannot let this world down._

 _Because here on Vulcan, most people have nothing._

* * *

 _I can psyching walk!_ Ninten thought. _Finally!_

He approached a large building that looked like a school. Ninten paused as he saw glowing purple stones above the entrance of the building. They were arranged in a way that made them form letters, letters that spelled "Ceres School of Psionics."

"I guess this is our destination, huh?" Ninten asked Jeff, who stood right beside him. "Maybe we should go back and tell Ness and Poo… it really isn't that far."

"Wow," Jeff said, not even seeming to hear Ninten. "Those words are made of legitimate psionic crystals. You know, the kind that possesses stored psionic power?"

"Of course I know what psionic crystals are," Ninten shot back.

Jeff shrugged.

"No need to act so touchy… I was just making sure. But imagine the price for that many stones!"

"Yes, imagine the price in the sweat, blood, and tears of children on Vulcan," came a gruff voice from behind them.

Ninten turned around to find himself face to face with a kid about his age. He wore breastplate and had a huge sword slung over his back. One of his eyes squinted in disapproval… and the other was covered by a black eye patch. He possessed red hair that stuck up in the front, both a color and style that rarely appeared on Earth.

"Who are you?" Jeff asked, twitching nervously.

"I'm not in the habit of giving my name to strangers," the kid replied, his one eye scanning Jeff and Ninten furiously.

"Dude, what's with the outfit?" Ninten asked. "Do you want to look like a knight or a pirate? Make up your mind."

The kid took a step towards Ninten, his eye narrowing dangerously. Ninten felt a chill run down his spine.

 _I may have made a mistake…_

"Do you think that this eye patch is psyching _funny?_ " the kid demanded.

 _Er… kind of?_

"I guess not," Ninten replied nonchalantly, trying his best to suppress the part of his mind that told him to run away screaming.

The pirate-knight wannabe only darkened his expression.

"Listen, kid," he spat at Ninten. "You might think that you're tough, but you don't want to mess with me. I'll beat the shit out of you."

 _Geez,_ Ninten thought. _This guy is intense!_

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Ninten replied. "I never wanted to pick a fight. Where I come from, mocking banter is a regular part of our lives."

The kid snorted.

"Whatever."

 _I wish that he would stop acting tough,_ Ninten thought. _Even if he thinks that he can kick my ass in a fight, he doesn't need to gloat about it._

"So, what did you mean about the children on Vulcan?" Jeff piped in.

The kid's eye rolled back over to Jeff.

"Have you ever been to Vulcan?" he asked.

"Er… no," Jeff answered.

 _Why would we ever go there?_ Ninten wondered. _From what I hear, Vulcan hosts nothing but factories and mines._

"You should go," the ginger said, "And see how the workers are treated."

"Uh… thanks, but no thanks," Jeff replied.

The ginger sighed, his eye narrowing dangerously once more. Jeff let out a yelp.

"Of course you don't want to…" he mused. "You nobles don't care about anyone else, do you? People on Vulcan can suffer, and you don't give a psych."

Ninten felt rage rise through his system.

"What universe do you live in, kid?" Ninten demanded. "The distinction between nobles and commoners disappeared 80 years ago when the empire fell!"

The ginger turned his gaze back to Ninten, who forced himself not to flinch. _My gosh, this kid is scary!_

"That's what you all say, but the truth is still evident. You can even see it in our names. While you nobles have a family name, we commoners don't. I'm just Claus. Nothing more."

 _Claus?_ Ninten thought. _What a strange name… I've never heard of anyone named on Claus on Earth or even Ceres._

 _Does Claus come from Vulcan?_

But that didn't make sense. To get to Ceres, Claus would either have to pay an absurd amount of money (which would be next to impossible for someone on Vulcan) or have access to psionics (literally impossible for someone on Vulcan unless they somehow visited Earth). Claus couldn't have _possibly_ grown up in Vulcan…

But the way that he talked made it seem like he did.

"Well, you just misjudged us," Ninten countered, "Because I'm just Ninten. Nothing more. And Jeff's family got their last name _after_ the empire's fall."

Claus raised an eyebrow, the one above his visible eye.

"Really?" he asked, not seeming to believe Ninten. "Then why do you talk like nobles?"

"It's because of something called an _education,_ " Ninten replied. "They're free to everyone."

Claus snorted.

"I've seen some of the education on Earth. It sucks."

 _Ah, well… I can't really deny that,_ Ninten admitted to himself. _But wait, how did this kid get to Earth? Did he grow up there?_

"Earth doesn't only have one education system," Jeff replied. "The schools from my home town do a wonderful job of teaching students."

Claus furrowed his eyebrows, looking like he wanted to oppose Jeff's assertion but recognizing that he didn't have the rational argument to back it up.

"I guess maybe you're right there…" Claus admitted, "But that doesn't change the fact that you profit off of the mistreatment of workers in Vulcan."

 _Again, can't really deny that one,_ Ninten thought.

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

"Jeff, you're pretty smart," Ninten replied. "Can't you figure that out by yourself? How do businesses cut their prices to make goods more affordable for the general public?"

"They reduce their input costs," Jeff replied. "That way, they can still make a profit."

"Exactly," Ninten affirmed. "And how do you think that they cut costs? What's the easiest way?"

"Technological innovation?" Jeff offered.

"Nah," Ninten replied. "That requires _work._ Think about an easy way to crank out cheaper goods without impacting the quality."

Jeff's eyes lit up in realization.

"They cut wages," he said.

"Yes," Ninten concurred. "Companies in Vulcan have complete control over their workers, so these corporations give them only enough to cover the necessities, if that."

"Wow…" Jeff whispered, his eyes wide with horror. "I never knew. So the stones that make up those words that say 'Ceres School of Psionics' come from that system?"

"Yes," Claus answered, furrowing his eyebrows as he turned to Ninten. "Since you know that, do you not buy products made in Vulcan?"

"My family still does," Ninten answered. "I try to avoid it, but some goods are pretty hard to go without."

Claus sneered.

"Hard to go without? I'm sure that you could if you tried."

"Yup," Ninten answered. "But seeing everyone else around me have those appliances would drive me nuts. Besides, I'm just one person. Even if I stop buying goods from Vulcan, nothing will change."

Claus' green iris lit up with fury.

"You…" he spat, shoving a finger in Ninten's face. "You have _no_ excuse! You know how people there suffer, and yet you don't do a psyching thing! If everyone continues to act like you, this system will never change!"

Ninten shrugged.

"It's so hard to focus on all of the issues on the world… and whenever I think of Vulcan, my mind hops to the incident there two years ago."

 _Carpainter… he came from the same family as the woman who now rules Ceres. Still, Carpainter's catastrophe should drive his daughter to the opposite extreme._

Claus didn't seem to react. That surprised Ninten; he expected someone who had connections to Vulcan to care more.

"Hey, Jeff!" came a voice from behind them. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Ninten turned around to see an unremarkable-looking boy striding towards Jeff with enough swagger to draw the eye of most passerbys. He wore one of those silly top hats that was trendy these days. Ninten shook his head. Those hats were so uncomfortable… Ninten felt glad that he wore a baseball cap instead.

"Tony," Jeff replied, a smile breaking out onto his face. "It's been a week!"

Tony strode up to Ninten and Claus, scanning them with discerning eyes.

"Dude, what's with the outfit?" he asked Claus. "Do you want to look like a knight or a pirate? Make up your mind."

 _Ah, I'm getting déjà vu,_ Ninten thought. Claus doubtless remembered Ninten speaking those exact words to him just minutes earlier.

The ginger-haired boy scowled and walked up to the building, opening the door and slamming it behind him.

"What's with that kid?" Tony asked. "Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

 _How did that metaphor become a thing?_ Ninten wondered. _It makes no sense._

"He just seems kinda gruff," Ninten answered. "I think that he went through a lot. He said some stuff about workers in Vulcan."

"Well, if he visited Vulcan, then I _do_ feel bad for him," Tony responded with an exaggerated sigh. "Everything there is so bland and boring. I would probably return bitter and angry if _I_ went there."

 _Um… this isn't really the time to attempt humor,_ Ninten thought.

"But enough about _Vulcan,_ " Tony said. "We're in Ceres now. Have you tried the ice cream here?"

"Um… no," Ninten replied.

Tony looked shocked.

"But the ice cream here is the _best!_ How can you just… not try it?"

"By not eating any," Ninten responded flatly.

 _For all this kid knows, I'm some wacky stranger on the street,_ Ninten thought. _Why is he talking to me?_

"Ah, but that would require not eating ice cream, which in itself is impossible."

Ninten rolled his eyes.

"Tony, why don't you start by introducing yourself?" Jeff asked.

"Oh, how could I forget?" Tony replied, slapping his forehead. "I'm so sorry!"

 _Is this kid always serious or never serious?_ Ninten wondered. _I don't know which one would scare me more._

"So my name is Tony, and I come from Winters, just like Jeffster here."

"Jeffster?" Ninten asked.

"It's what I call Jeff," Tony answered with a smirk. "I thought that you could figure that out."

"I figured _that_ out," Ninten replied, "But why?"

Tony shrugged, his stupid grin refusing to fade.

"Why not?"

 _I guess if neither of them mind it then there's no need for change,_ Ninten figured.

"Anyways," Tony continued, seeming to have forgotten Ninten's objection, "I have family over here in Ceres, so I decided to come here for school. Just like Jeffster, I want to become a psionic engineer."

 _Of course you do, sadist,_ Ninten thought, and then immediately retracted the thought from his mind. _I suppose that's not fair. They don't really know what's in store for them._

"So, who are you?" Tony asked.

"My name's Ninten. I lived in a small American town called Podunk, away from you crazy Eagleish people. I'm here because I'm a psion, not because I _want_ to be here."

"Ah, yes, we Eagleish do tend to act a bit crazy, don't we?" Tony asked with a wink.

 _I guess I shouldn't get annoyed by this guy's playful attitude,_ Ninten thought. _Better him than someone like Claus._

Ninten offered a smile.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," he said, trying to act polite.

"Nice to meet you too!" Tony exclaimed. "And I see that you've already met Jeffster. He's a pretty cool friend. He provides the smarts while I provide the looks."

Tony took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair in an exaggerated attempt to look cool. Ninten couldn't help but laugh.

 _Suddenly, the world seems a little lighter,_ he thought.

"Tony here certainly provides the humor," Jeff said, his eyes shining with amusement.

Ninten nodded. He had forgotten how much he liked interacting with people. He always felt energetic when talking to a friend, so sticking around Tony didn't seem like a bad idea at the moment.

"Hey Tony, do you want to go out and eat ice cream together?" Ninten offered. "Because after all, how could I possibly _not_ try it?" he finished in a mock version of Tony's enthusiastic voice.

Tony laughed.

"I'm totally up for that! I love making new friends! Come on, Jeffster, let's go!"

Jeff offered a reserved smile and nodded in agreement.

"I just have to tell Ness and Poo," Ninten shouted, jogging away. "I'll be back!"

"Watch your step!" Tony shouted.

 _Hmm…? What does he mean by that… oh gosh!_

Ninten had forgotten about the decreased gravity that Ceres offered. In taking off in a jog, Ninten bounded higher than he had anticipated. His body lost all sense of direction as he planted his face into the grass.

 _Ow…_

"Are you sure that you know how to run?" Tony teased.

Ninten slowly got up to his feet. He shot Tony a smirk.

"I guess I don't. I think that I'll _walk_ over there and meet you guys back here."

Tony laughed and Jeff broke into a smile.

"Sounds good to me!" Tony exclaimed. "See you in a few minutes!"

Ninten nodded.

 _Maybe life on Ceres isn't as cutthroat as father said…_ but Ninten couldn't shake his concerns, not fully.

Because his father had never been wrong about something as large as this before.

* * *

Ness woke up to find his vision fuzzy and his mind exhausted. He sighed, not feeling surprised. He always slept worse when he was away.

 _At least I survived my first night on Ceres,_ he thought.

Ness examined his surroundings. He found himself in a large room with his own private bathroom. Furniture made of mahogany and lined with velvet was placed in an orderly fashion across the room. A massive chandelier hung boisterously in the center of the room.

 _Why do they think that I need all of this?_ Ness wondered.

He walked around his room for basically the first time, as he had been too nervous the night before to examine anything closely. Ness walked towards a large object that looked like a metal wardrobe. He opened it and instantly felt a wave of cool wash over his body.

 _This must be one of those refrigerator things!_ Ness realized, hardly able to believe his luck. He had always dreamed of owning one of these. _Do all psionic students get one? How much must that cost?_

Refrigerators were a relatively new invention that required psionic power to work, making them highly expensive both to install and to maintain. Ness shook his head, moving over to the next metal device. It looked like a countertop, but was lined with metal circles. On the side of the countertop, Ness observed dials that could be turned, each tick increasing the temperature.

 _And this must be a stove!_ Ness thought. _Why do they give us this much?_

Stoves also required psionic power, meaning that only the middle class could own them. Apparently, the truly wealthy disdained of these new appliances, although Ness didn't know why.

Ness' stomach growled.

 _Oh yeah… I skipped dinner last night,_ Ness remembered. _I should try to find the cafeteria._

Still feeling groggy, Ness opened the door and walked out into a wide hallway.

 _Now, where am I…?_

"Hey, wimp."

Ness turned around to find himself face to face with Pokey. This time, he had three henchmen standing behind him, smiling viciously. Ness tried to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth.

"I told you that I'd be back, wimp," Pokey hissed, his stinky breath causing Ness to wince.

"Why do you have to pick on me?" Ness managed to get out, feeling adrenaline rush through his system. This was _not_ good.

"You're a commoner and a wimp," Pokey spat, driving his fist into Ness' stomach. "And yet _you_ got psionic powers. You, the most pathetic of them all!"

Ness fell to the ground, fear and rage clashing in his heart. He registered the sounds of cruel laughter from Pokey's sidekicks, which sapped all of the confidence out of him.

 _How can I possibly stand against four bullies?_ Ness wondered hopelessly. _There's no way!_

He pulled himself to his feet. Pokey snarled and punched him again, this time in the face. Ness's vision flashed red with pain as he staggered back, managing to stay on his feet this time.

More mocking laughter.

More pain.

Ness couldn't take this anymore.

He _screamed_ as he thrust sparks of psionic energy at Pokey, throwing him to the ground. The bully leapt back to his feet faster than Ness could believe.

"See?" Pokey demanded. "This kid is so wimpy that he has to resort to psionics to fight me. This is what happens when we let commoners in our mix!"

Ness blinked, realizing that he and Pokey had gathered quite a crowd. Most of the onlookers looked snooty and conceited, sneering and laughing at Ness.

"A commoner?"

"No wonder he can't fight."

"Beat him more, Minch!"

 _Minch…_ Ness thought. _Pokey Minch. He has a last name… why does that matter so much?_

Pokey cracked his knuckles and advanced towards Ness.

"No… please," Ness whispered, throwing his hands up to protect himself.

"Maybe you should have tried to beg before you attacked me, _commoner,_ " Pokey hissed.

"Get him!" someone shouted.

"Teach him to mess with nobles at his own risk!"

"Knock him all the way back to Earth!"

"No…" Ness whispered, feeling helplessness overtake him. Was there _nothing_ that he could do?

Pokey grinned maliciously and drove his fists into Ness over and over again. Ness closed his eyes.

"Stop…" Ness moaned.

More punches.

"Please…"

More pain.

"No more… please."

No hope for escape.

"You will STOP!" someone yelled.

Ness opened his eyes to see a look of utter shock scrawled onto Pokey's face. A girl walked up to Ness and offered him a hand. He grabbed on and she pulled him to his feet, smiling sweetly. She had blond hair and blue eyes, just like Paula. Her face even looked like Paula's, but it was different enough in subtle ways to indicate a lack of familial ties between the two.

 _I bet Paula is here,_ Ness thought. _She has psionic powers too. I wonder why I didn't see her on the ship._

"Are you all right?" the girl asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

Ness looked around, taking in the spiteful glares of the other students. He shied back, pouring all of his hope into this one girl before him.

"I think so," he responded softly.

The girl smiled again.

"My name's Ana. It's nice to meet you!" She turned to Pokey, her expression turning harsh. "What were you doing to this poor boy?"

"He's a wimp and a commoner," Pokey stuttered. "I had to teach him a lesson."

Ana's eyes shone with loathing as her mouth formed a sneer.

"Does nobody else know what year this is? The empire fell 80 years ago! Nobody's a commoner or a noble anymore. We're all just humans, and we should _treat_ each other like humans."

Some of the onlookers mumbled dissenting words, but Ana quieted them with a glare. Ness had to resist the urge to hide behind this girl.

"I…" Pokey stammered. "But he's still a commoner! He shouldn't have psionic powers!"

Ana cocked her head in thought. After a moment, she broke out into a sneaky smile.

"You wouldn't happen to be Pokey Minch, would you?" she asked.

Pokey's jaw dropped.

"How…"

"How did I know?" Ana asked with a superior smile. "Well, you have an Eagleish accent and you clearly come from a rich and conceited family, meaning that you're almost certainly a Minch or Monotoli. After that, I just had to match you to Pokey Minch's profile."

"So, what about that?" Pokey demanded. "I am Pokey Minch. Why does that matter?"

"Because you are bitter about being born into a post-noble family and not having psionic powers. As are you all, I imagine," Ana finished, her eyes sweeping across the onlookers.

Pokey's face paled, causing Ness to sigh in relief. Anything to take Pokey's mind off of bullying him… Ness couldn't thank Ana enough for this. He looked to the onlookers and saw some of them shuffling their feet, doubtless ashamed by the truth in Ana's words.

 _How can one person impact a crowd like this?_ Ness wondered. _Ana could have walked past me and let the bullying continue, but she didn't. She threw herself into the problem and was able to impact so many people. Just like… just like…_

Ness blinked out tears, unable to finish the thought.

"Now, for the second reason for your actions," Ana continued. "The fact that Ness is an alleged wimp."

"Yes!" Pokey exclaimed, latching onto what he thought was a way out for him. "He acted like a complete coward there. If he were strong, he should be able to stand up to me."

 _I tried,_ Ness thought weakly. _What more can I do?_

Ana flashed a dangerously sweet smile at Pokey, causing him to take a step back. Suddenly, a knife flew out from under Pokey's sleeve, a purple light surrounding it as it levitated off of the ground.

"What in the world?" Pokey asked, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

The knife flew right up to Pokey's throat.

"Now I have complete control over you," Ana said. "I could slit your throat, and you'd be powerless to stop it."

Pokey shrank back. The knife came closer.

 _Ana's using psionic power to control the knife,_ Ness realized.

"No, please…" Pokey whispered.

"Oh, so I guess you're a wimp, too," Ana said with a sigh. "You couldn't stand up to a 15 year old girl. Too bad."

Pokey's face flushed with rage.

"Do you see how it feels to be _powerless?_ " Ana demanded. "Find me someone who isn't weak when they can't control _anything_ around them, and I'll be astounded. You took away all of Ness' power, so of course he acted weak. Just like you acted weak when I took away all of _your_ power."

"I'll tell my father about this!" Pokey squeaked. "You won't get away with holding a knife up to a noble's throat!"

Ana laughed.

"Well, you'll have to get thorough _my_ parents. My last name happens to be 'Aniah.'"

All of the color drained from Pokey's face.

 _I think I've heard that name before…_ Ness thought.

"You're bluffing!" Pokey exclaimed, laughing nervously.

"You can believe that if you want," Ana replied, her voice falsely sweet.

Pokey looked for a hint of humor in Ana's eyes and found none. He turned around and dashed away, his footsteps echoing in the silent hall. His sidekicks followed, doubtless wanting to avoid Pokey's fate. Ana turned back to the onlookers.

"I remember that many of you laughed at how Ness reacted when Pokey stripped him of his power," she announced. "Well, would any of you like to prove your strength by seeing what it's like?"

It didn't take long for all of the onlookers to clear out, clearly not wanting to risk Ana holding a knife up to _their_ throats. After a minute, Ness and Ana stood alone in the hallway.

"Thanks," Ness whispered. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't showed up. Is there anything that I can do to repay you?"

Ana smiled sheepishly.

"I don't need any return favors, Ness. I'm just glad that you're safe."

"Oh, okay… Wait, how do you know my name?" Ness asked.

"Oh!" Ana exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I thought that you told me… I guess not. I know the names of the psionic students enrolling this year. You know, I figure that I should get some info on my future classmates."

Ness felt a chill run down his spine. _Does she know…?_

"How much do you know about me?" he asked, feeling his heart pound in his chest.

"Not much. The only other things that I know are that you grew up in Onett and that you have a mother named Linda and a sister named Tracy."

Ness sighed.

"It's good to know that you don't have access to all of my darkest secrets," he said. "But still, it amazes me that you did all of that research. Is there anything about you that isn't perfect?"

Ana smiled.

"Of course there is, Ness."

"Really?" Ness asked. "Because I don't see it."

Ana laughed.

"If you stick around me long enough, you will. Now, what do you say that we head over to the cafeteria and get some breakfast?"

"You would be willing to eat with me?" Ness asked.

"Why not?" Ana replied. "It's not like I have any friends."

"You don't?" Ness asked. "But you're so _perfect!_ "

Ana shrugged.

"Some friendships just don't work out. You ready to go?"

Ness' stomach growled.

"Sure!" he responded excitedly.

* * *

 _Look at his eyes,_ a voice in Ana's mind whispered. _He adores you._

She complied, looking into Ness' eyes. He _did_ seem to appreciate what she did for him…

 _Isn't it hilarious that he admires_ you _of all people?_ the voice asked.

 _I suppose,_ Ana replied.

 _You charmed him with who you pretend to be. You never show your true self to anyone._

 _You're wrong,_ Ana replied.

 _What?_

 _This is my true self. I've pretended for too long. All of my past struggles aren't real anymore. They belong to someone else._

 _Your past just… slipped away,_ the voice mused. _That's terrifying in its own right._

 _Isn't it?_ Ana asked.


	6. Chapter 5: High Steaks

**Hey, everyone! I've been travelling a lot, but now I'm home and I can (hopefully) work more on this fanfic. :)**

 **Anyways, this chapter honestly doesn't have a whole lot of content. I have ch. 6 written but not edited. I'm hoping to get it out by tomorrow. And as always, the plot is moving more slowly than I originally imagined. You would think that I would eventually plan for slow plots, but it never works out that way. xD**

 **Also, I almost got a heart attack looking at the reviews again because some of them were for "chapter 5," and I was like "Ohmygosh did I already post this?" and then I realized that the prologue counts as ch. 1, so the reviews were for ch. 4. xD I don't know why I'm telling you guys this, but you guys don't mind listening to me ramble** ** _too_** **much, right? ;)**

 **And as always, reviews** ** _really_** **help me out. Truly, I love getting them. :D To those of you that have been reviewing periodically, thank you SO MUCH. I really don't think that I could do this without you.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **A Fan:** **Yeah, it's implied that Carpainter is/was on Vulcan. All will be explained eventually, trust me. ;) And yeah, like I said, the prologue is set 4 years ago. So right in the middle of your range!**

 **Yep, the empire's significant. More than the shard of Ceres or the Gate to Prosperity, by far.**

 **Tbh, I haven't thought about why Pokey's henchmen join him. I promise that I'll come up with something, though. :)**

 **As for Ana, I can make no promises about if/when she will die. As for your question about the number of psionic scientists/engineers... it comes up in this chapter, but yes. :) And yeah, psionic science/engineering carries a lot of importance, to the plot and message of this story. Great catch! And Ana's talking to herself... so far as you know. ;) And I have read Dreams and Reality (it's better than anything I've written haha) but I didn't remember the similarity between its ending and that of my last chapter. Maybe it subconsciously influenced me. ;)**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:** **Ninten has more reasons than Jeff's ideal profession for his dislike. I think that I might talk more about their relationship (not the romantic kind) a bit more in later chapters, so I'm not going to say anything definitive for now. :)**

 **Haha, "loser" does fit Pokey quite well. xD And yeah, it was pretty fun to write Ana taking Pokey down a notch. :D And huh, Ana's voice is _nicer_ than Tigerclaw's? Tigerclaw must have a pretty malicious voice, then... not that Ana's is terrible or anything, it's just that the word 'nice' does not come to mind when I think about it. xD But yeah, comparisons can change the way that you look at things. And really, the human brain rationalizes pretty much everything by using comparisons... okay, I have to stop drifting off into abstract psychology stuff again. xD**

 **Also, I like your new profile pic (or maybe it's been there for a while and I forgot to comment on it xD)! :) Did you find it online or did you draw it yourself?**

 **Just A Fan: "Evil scout camp?" xD And yeah, I'm basically addicted to the internet. D: Like, I struggle with going to school for 7-8 hours and not being able to check my reviews.**

 **DarkFoxKit: Yep, the prologue's pretty vague. All will be explained in due time... or maybe overdue time. xD Given my current pace... well, I probably shouldn't say anything else that makes it seem like my plot moves like a sloth, but it kinda does. Hmm... I've never really had low self-esteem myself, but I always find it easier to relate to people who do. For me, writing Ness' character is _far_ easier than writing Ninten's.**

* * *

 _I wish that I could understand the damage that I caused._

 _Every time I try to picture the pain that I inflicted, my mind hits a brick wall. It simply cannot comprehend each individual person suffering. Instead, it groups my victims into one, detached pile of corpses. That phenomenon leaves me feeling horrified, and then I beat myself up because I know that I'm not horrified enough. It's a vicious circle that haunts my dreams._

 _I want to understand the full effects of my mistakes. I would rather live in my victims' nightmares than my own. Because if I did… I don't think that I would have to hate myself so much._

* * *

Jeff nibbled on a muffin, trying to hide his excitement as other students shuffled around the cafeteria.

 _I'm going to learn about psionics on Ceres!_ he thought, hardly able to believe it. A dozen fantasies danced in front of his eyes. He tried to resist the temptation to marvel at them, instead focusing on the present.

Jeff scanned the cafeteria around him. Everything looked sleek and futuristic, from the sliding tables to the psionics-infused kitchen. He had expected anything futuristic to look white, but rainbow swirls of color were splashed on the cafeteria's floors, walls, ceiling, and even tables.

 _Wow,_ Jeff thought. _This is so cool!_

Normally, he didn't like flashy colors, but these ones worked well. After all, this was the Ceres School of Psionics. It couldn't go wrong if it tried to!

Jeff almost missed Ninten as he sat down on the other side of the table with a sloppy pyramid of steak cubes piled on top of his plate.

"You're eating steak for _breakfast?_ " Jeff asked, blinking and subconsciously hoping that reality would bend before his eyes to put a _proper_ food on Ninten's plate. "Is that an American thing?"

Ninten scowled.

"Yes, we Americans don't divide foods into silly categories like 'breakfast foods' and 'dinner foods.' Well, we still do some, but not as much as you crazy Eagleish."

"But _steak?_ " Jeff asked, unable to let it drop. "Isn't that going to fill you up for hours?"

"I wouldn't eat if I didn't want to fill myself up," Ninten countered.

"But won't you feel full when it's time for lunch?"

Ninten shrugged.

"If that's the case, then I can eat lunch late. I don't see why it matters."

Jeff couldn't deny Ninten's logic, but something about eating steak for breakfast seemed _wrong._ He cringed as Ninten piled the fat, juicy meat into his mouth, noticing then that the American wore a bandage around his right hand that made it look mummified. How did that happen?

"Um, Ninten?" Jeff asked, hesitating to point it out.

Ninten nodded for Jeff to go on while he continued to chew his steak.

"What happened to your hand?"

Ninten's face turned sour as he finished chewing.

"So, I went into my room last night," Ninten started, "And I found it stuffed with a bunch of funny gadgets. I saw some sort of dial on the side of a counter and I turned it. It made some metal on the top of the counter turn red."

Jeff winced.

"Please tell me that you didn't _touch_ that red metal," he said.

Ninten shot Jeff a flat look.

"I did," Ninten replied with a grimace. "Apparently, turning that dial made the metal extremely hot. My hand got burned pretty badly. It itches right now, actually."

"Of course the metal was hot!" Jeff exclaimed. "That's what a stove does!"

"Stove?" Ninten asked, the reality starting to dawn on him.

"Yes!" Jeff answered. "Seriously, how have you never used a stove before?"

Ninten scowled. It looked so natural on him that Jeff hardly noticed.

"We don't have any of that fancy shit in Podunk," Ninten said. "We just used an old-fashioned fire whenever we wanted to heat something up."

"You didn't have _any_ stoves where you came from?" Jeff asked incredulously. "But they're standard issue now!"

"Not in rural America."

 _For all of my life, I've had basic appliances ready to use,_ Jeff thought. _What would it be like to have to start a fire every time I wanted to heat something up? Heck, I don't even know how to start a fire, even with matches or flint and steel._

"How do you live without technology?" Jeff asked, shaking his head in wonder.

"Stop treating my town like it's some sort of beggar," Ninten snapped. "Podunk sucked ass, but the lack of technology was _not_ the reason. We managed to get by without these fancy 'stoves' of yours. We even live without toilets or sinks."

Jeff couldn't restrain himself from gasping.

"You don't have sinks? The _romans_ had those, Ninten! And how do you secrete waste without a toilet?"

"We use outhouses," Ninten answered. "And yeah, the romans did have sinks, but their aqueducts didn't reach every small town in existence, just like in America."

Jeff felt surprised at Ninten's wealth of knowledge. He couldn't even think of one other person that he knew who could connect the romans and aqueducts, and some of the people that he knew received top-class educations. How did Ninten even learn about ancient civilizations at all, living in a small, likely uneducated town?

"Don't you ever wonder about what you're missing?" Jeff asked.

Ninten shook his head.

"Since nobody has these funny new machines in Podunk, no one needs to feel jealous. If you start introducing technology that becomes 'standard,' then everyone feels like they have to pick one up. Even if prices are affordable, such purchases hurt the poor the most. My family has never had much money, so I'm glad that we don't have to use it on machines. Because if we did, we would have nothing left for items that truly bring happiness."

 _Wow,_ Jeff thought. _I didn't expect him to come up with such a persuasive response._ Before, Jeff hadn't seen any downsides, even hypothetical ones, to technological advancement. But now he wondered if Ninten was right.

"So Ninten…" Jeff said.

"Yeah?"

"If you got your hand burned, then why didn't you go see one of the nurses about it?"

"What can they do about it?" Ninten asked with a snort. "Kiss it? Put another layer of bandages on?"

"Well, they could use psionics to heal the burn," Jeff explained, trying not to sound smug.

Ninten blinked.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Jeff exclaimed. "And you're a psionic student, so you get first class treatment. You probably won't even have to wait in line."

"So you're telling me that I slept poorly through the night for _nothing?_ "

"Yeah, pretty much."

"…Shit. I had better see one of those nurses, huh?"

"Seems like a good option right now, doesn't it?"

Ninten shook his head, wearing an amused smile rather than the exasperated look that Jeff had expected.

 _I guess not much fazes that kid,_ he thought.

Ninten got up from the table, but soon halted and looked back at the steak.

"Don't worry about leaving it behind," Jeff said. "You can always get more."

"But it seems like such a waste…" Ninten replied. "You know, because kids are starving on Vulcan and everything."

"But conserving food on Ceres doesn't mean that more will make it to Vulcan," Jeff replied. "The kids there will end up impoverished either way."

Ninten shrugged, seeming to accept Jeff's logic but not liking it.

"I'll come back for this, okay? It feels silly to waste perfectly good food."

Jeff nodded. After all, who was he to question other people's beliefs? Ninten looked relieved and took off.

 _I wonder if he'll be able to find the Nurse's office,_ Jeff thought. _I suppose that he probably can. After all, it's marked with a glowing purple sign._

Only seconds after Ninten left, Ness arrived at the table and gingerly took a seat, followed by a girl whom Jeff didn't recognize. Even though Ninten said that he slept poorly, Ness looked worse. Purple bags the size of quarters sagged under his bloodshot eyes.

"Hey, Ness!" Jeff exclaimed. "Who's the girl?"

"My name is Ana," she answered, smiling politely. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Jeff Andonuts. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she replied pleasantly. "Ness here told me all about you."

"He did?" Jeff asked, looking at Ness in surprise, who offered a weak smile.

"Yeah," Ana said. "He said that you're so interested in psionics that you came all the way from Earth to study here, even though you don't have any psionic powers."

Jeff blushed, her words making him feel self-conscious.

"I... er… that may be true."

Ana laughed sweetly.

"You shouldn't feel embarrassed about who you are! I think it's wonderful that you have such a passion for psionics."

Something about the way that Ana said those words made Jeff feel a bit better about himself.

 _It's no wonder that Ness hangs out with her,_ Jeff thought. _She's so supportive! Ness needs someone to boost his self-esteem, and Ana fills that role perfectly._

"Is that steak?" Ness asked, looking over to Ninten's plate in confusion.

"Yeah; it's Ninten's," Jeff answered. "He said that he'd come back for it."

"He eats steak for breakfast?" Ness asked, blinking in the same manner that Jeff had.

"I know, right!" Jeff exclaimed, a smile breaking out onto his face. "Apparently, that's normal in America."

"Huh," Ness said, looking down to his own plate of cereal and toast. "Are you sure that it's not just Ninten?"

"I can confirm that it's just Ninten," Ana chimed in. "I come from America, and most people there do _not_ eat steak for breakfast. We do eat eggs and sausage, though."

"You come from America?" Jeff asked, the revelation catching him off guard. He subconsciously expected all Americans to act like Ninten: blunt, stubborn, and single-minded. Ana didn't seem to possess any of these attributes.

"Yep," Ana answered. "I knew Ninten pretty well before I moved to Ceres. He has his quirks, but don't we all? If you think about it, eating steak in the morning makes a certain kind of sense. After all, nutrition specialists always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

 _The way that she talks…_ Jeff thought. _I think that she comes from a noble background. But I thought that most "nobles" disdained commoners, especially those with psionic powers like Ness. Is she just an exception to the rule, or does she come from an educated, non-aristocratic family like mine?_

"I suppose…" Jeff conceded, trying not to let his mind wander further. "Oh, are you two excited for President Carpainter's speech? It's starting in less than an hour!"

Ness flinched in pain, squeezing his eyes tight shut. Ana put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. Jeff couldn't help but notice how calming Ana's voice was. It made him feel a little jealous that _he_ couldn't comfort people like that.

"Yeah," Ness whispered.

"Do you not like speeches or something?" Jeff asked, genuinely curious.

"Carpainter…" Ana whispered, provoking another cringe from Ness. Ana's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! That makes total sense. No wait, that doesn't make sense at all… she would never reveal herself like that… Ah, you must have met _her._ No wonder you feel nervous being away from home!"

Jeff blinked.

"What?" he asked.

"Ana," Ness whispered, his beady eyes glued to the floor. "Please don't tell anyone. I don't like to remember that."

 _Remember what?_ Jeff thought.

"Of course," Ana reassured. "Would it help if I called our president 'Minerva?'"

 _What's happening?_

"Yeah," Ness replied softly.

Ana turned to Jeff.

"It seems that Ness would prefer if we did not call the president by her last name," she said.

"All right," Jeff replied, wondering why the name "Carpainter" made Ness react in such a way.

Ana turned back to Ness with a supportive smile.

"I know that you probably don't want me to coddle you, but Minerva is a _wonderful_ person. I've met her personally before. I'm sure that you'll be safe in her hands."

Ness and Jeff both gasped.

"You met the _president_ in person?" Jeff asked, not quite able to believe his ears.

 _She must come from a noble background if she's met President Carpainter,_ he thought. _There's no other way. So why does she act so… human?_

"Yeah," Ana replied like it was nothing. "She was gracious and courteous in every way possible. I'm sure that she'll put you at ease, Ness."

"I hope so," Ness whispered, sitting up a bit straighter. "But even if she does, I don't see how I can last six years on Ceres."

 _Ooh,_ Jeff thought, trying to keep his face neutral. _This might not be a good time to tell him about the mandatory service requirements after psionics school. The thought of going into the military might break Ness' fragile heart._

Ana must have known about the draft but said nothing about it, indicating that she came to the same conclusion as Jeff.

"You just have to make it four months," Ana said. "Then you can go back home and see your family. Do you think that you can make it that long, Ness?"

Ness sighed.

"I guess so… After all, didn't you say that you moved to Ceres?"

Ana nodded.

"How was that?" Ness asked.

Ana bit her lip.

"I'm not going to lie," she answered. "It was pretty rough. Leaving behind everything that I knew on Earth took away some of my energy. I missed all the little things about our planet. I missed the trees and birds. I missed the snow. But I survived, and now I'm just as happy as I was before I moved."

Ness seemed to mull over each word carefully, ready to catch the slightest implication in Ana's tone.

"I can survive four months, then," he finally said. "If you survived moving permanently, I can survive temporary school on Ceres."

Ana smiled, making Jeff feel better even though he wasn't a part of the conversation.

"I think that you can do it too, Ness," she said. "It won't be easy, despite what some will say. You will probably struggle. But looking back, you'll be surprised at how many new ways you'll discover to experience happiness on Ceres."

Ness offered a weak smile.

"Thanks, Ana," he said. "That really helps."

 _Both Ana and Ninten did a great job comforting Ness,_ Jeff thought, _While I couldn't. What do they have that I don't?_

Right then, Ninten arrived back at the table. He plopped back down in his seat, disregarding all formalities.

"Thanks for making sure that nobody touched my steak," he said to Jeff. "Or maybe you hate my guts and spat on it. I don't know."

He turned to address Ness, but his jaw dropped at the sight of Ana.

"Ann?" he asked. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"It's nice to see you again too, Ninten," she replied, her polite words contrasting with Ninten's incredulous tone. "As for me, I have psionic powers. Don't you remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Ninten exclaimed, slapping his face with the palm of his right hand. "We saw each other at the awakening!"

Ana smiled and nodded.

 _Man, I half-expected her to get annoyed when Ninten revealed that he forgot about her powers,_ Jeff thought. _Perhaps I stereotype girls too much._

"Man, you've changed a lot, Ann," Ninten said, shaking his head in wonder.

"And you haven't changed at all," Ana replied.

Ninten raised an eyebrow.

"Once you break the surface, you'll start to see changes."

"Once you break _my_ surface, you'll start to see similarities, Ana countered.

Ninten grinned.

"Well, you're still quick on your feet. That hasn't changed."

Ana smiled impishly. It seemed likely that the two of them had often conversed like this.

"Living on Ceres kept my skills sharp," she said.

"I can believe it," Ninten replied with a snort. "Now I have to worry about you talking circles around my logic. It feels like I'll never be able to avoid you, Ann."

 _What did Ana mean when she said that Ceres kept her skills sharp?_ Jeff wondered. He looked over to Ness, who seemed confused as well.

"Yes, I am destined to stalk you," she said wryly, "And not the other way around."

"Of course not the other way around!" Ninten replied. "I'm a stubborn teenage boy. Everything always has to happen _to_ me, not _because_ of me. It's a scientific fact."

Ana laughed.

 _Those two interact in strange ways,_ Jeff thought. _Although, I could see Tony fitting in quite well with them. In fact, I wonder where he is right now…_

Ninten's eyes suddenly flashed with worry, his easygoing smile replaced with a concerned frown. He leaned over and examined Ness' face.

"Someone punched you, didn't they?" Ninten asked.

Jeff blinked. Now that Ninten mentioned it, Ness did have a bruise on his left cheek.

"Yes," Ness whispered, staring at the ground.

"Was it Pokey?" Ninten asked.

Ness nodded hesitantly.

"That bastard!" Ninten muttered, his eyes shining with rage. "He'll pay for this!"

"He already did," Ness replied. "Ana chased him off."

Ninten looked at Ana in shock.

"Look at you, stepping it up!" he exclaimed, jumping up patting her on the back.

Jeff expected Ana to respond with annoyance, but she only seemed amused.

"You still have that habit of congratulating people in annoying ways," she said.

Ninten flashed a grin.

"You bet I do! Not even adulthood can take that away from me!"

"Ninten, you are the exact _opposite_ of an adult," Ness piped in with a reserved smile.

Ninten looked dumbfounded as he fumbled for a response.

"Now you even have Ness making fun of me!" he finally exclaimed. "Thanks, Ann."

"Because him making fun of you is _obviously_ related to me," Ana said sarcastically. "Ness can't just poke fun at you because he wants to _._ "

"Yep," Ninten said. "Everything's always your fault, Ann."

"Glad to have that cleared up," she replied wryly, provoking a chuckle from Ness. Ana looked at him appreciatively. "At least my humor gets laughs while yours receives nothing but blank stares."

"Now it feels like you two are ganging up on me!" Ninten exclaimed in exaggerated annoyance. His attitude quickly shifted back to analytical. "But seriously, Pokey picking on you is a problem, Ness. I don't think that scaring him off will teach him a lesson."

"Nothing will teach him a lesson," Ana replied. "The more that we hurt him, the more that he tries to transfer that hurt over to Ness. I only chased him off to send a message to the other kids."

"Other kids?" Ninten asked.

"Yeah, Pokey attracted quite a crowd," Ana replied.

"I didn't even know that there were that many psions our age," Ness said.

"Most of them don't actually have psionic powers," Ana explained. "They just come from wealthy families and want to learn about psionics. Some jobs deal with psionics without requiring powers, so this school teaches to people who desire those jobs."

 _And I'm one of those people,_ Jeff thought. _I don't have any psionic powers, but I sure want to learn about them!_

"Oh," Ness said. "I assumed that most people at this school were psions. It makes sense that so many of the people here don't have those powers, though. The awakening doesn't activate psionics in most people."

Ana nodded, her eyes carrying a twinge of sadness.

"Additionally, some parents on Ceres don't want to send their children of the way to Earth for the awakening," she explained. "Those children are _especially_ bitter that people without a lot of money on Earth get the chance to activate their powers."

"People always scramble to come up with excuses," Ninten added. "If they can't get psionic powers, it's obviously not _their_ fault, so it has to be ours."

"It amazes me that people can act so bitter when there are millions of children on Vulcan who have nothing," Ness said softly.

Ness' words left a hollow silence in their wake. Other students talked in the background, but their conversations were only stars in the void of darkness that surrounded Jeff and his friends.

"People compare themselves to others around them," Ana replied, finally breaking the silence. "Even if they were to go to Vulcan, they would see the workers as sub-humans."

Ninten snorted in derision.

"It's sad how they have to cover for their insecurity by putting other people down," he spat. "Girls especially are _awful_ with that."

"Is that so?" Ana asked flatly, raising an eyebrow.

Ninten's eyes widened.

"Er… I didn't mean that _you_ put people down to ease your insecurity. I… um…"

Ana laughed.

"Chill, Ninten! I know that you mean no offense. And I agree with you, somewhat. Girls are taught that they shouldn't express their negative emotions, so we tend to act narcissistic to deal with the lack of venting. It's all cultural, really."

"Yeah, exactly!" Ninten replied hastily. "That's what I meant to say."

Ana shot Ninten a wry look.

"Then you need to get better at saying what you mean."

"I've always been _pathetic_ with words," Ninten said, rolling his eyes. "You know that, Ann."

 _Really?_ Jeff thought. _Because you were able to comfort Ness and reassure Poo. If you're pathetic with words, what does that make me?_

"Well," Ana said, looking at her watch. "I don't know about you three, but I'm pretty hungry. How about we dig in?"

Nobody raised an objection.

Their friendly banter continued as they consumed breakfast. Jeff mostly stayed on the outside, listening and smiling along as Ninten, Ana, and Ness interacted. He didn't mind; he had always been more of an observer.

In the back of his head, Jeff couldn't thinking about the address that the president would give that day.

 _I still can't believe that I'm going to see President Minerva Carpainter in person!_

Friendly conversation now, President Carpainter's address later… it seemed like the day was going to go perfectly for Jeff. He looked over to Ness to find the Onett boy nursing his bruise.

 _Ceres…_ Jeff thought. _Home of so many opportunities. Home of so many hopes._

 _Home of so many disappointments._

 _Why? Why do people in this place insist on holding petty grudges? Nobles, commoners… who cares?_

Jeff could see the nails that held his dreams in place start to loosen.

 _Ceres is supposed to be a utopia,_ he thought weakly. _It could be a utopia._

 _So why isn't it one?_


	7. Chapter 6: A Warm Welcome?

**Well, here I am again! :) And this chapter has a bit more plot than the last one! ...Although, it's still kinda slow. DX I guess it happens when I try to include about a dozen dynamic characters in this story. Try not to fall asleep, all right? We'll get there eventually, I promise.**

 **Well, I don't really have anything else to say (for once), so I'm going to answer reviews now:**

 **A Fan:** **Yeah, it is a bit odd, but not many people are psions and going to a psionics school is a status symbol. Besides, a lot of jobs have to do with psionics, as most of the complicated engineering incorporates psionics in some way. And yeah, the secrets are what keeps this story interesting for people who don't care as much about the characters. And they work well for people who** ** _do_** **care about the characters because unlike a lot of plot devices, they directly relate to characters' personalities (I picked that trick up from** **This Game Called Life** **, which I wish would get updated sometime D:).**

 **The military is just... standing. There's some threat from starmen (as shown in the prologue), but it's useful to keep a dozen or two psions handy in case something breaks out. And I can't help you with the search thing because I don't really use it (I just browse subcategories, usually Earthbound). Sorry! D:**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:** **Well, you still found plenty to talk about. :) And don't feel bad that your review's short; It's my fault for not providing very much material (which is the reason why I wanted to get this chapter out so quickly). And I actually have eaten steak for breakfast before. xD I kinda agree with Ninten on that one, and I can see that you agree with Ana. And we're both Americans (at least, according to your profile) just like Ninten and Ana too... I don't really know what that means. xD I'm kinda rambling now.**

 **But speaking of rambling, I'm glad that you don't mind! And I'm also glad that you liked the conversation between Ninten and Ana! But I'm not glad that I say the phrase "I'm glad" so often. xD But better to be perpetually glad than something else, right? And I'm a little jealous of your drawing skills, because I don't have any at all! But I suppose that's because I've never really practiced, so it's really my fault. Besides, writing is pretty similar to visual art in a lot of ways, right?**

* * *

 _At first, I thought that I should despise myself. I thought that I should hurt myself. I know better now. I committed an act so vile that it defies the essence of what it means to be human, but hating myself won't fix that. I need to take what I can from my shattered past before letting it rot into oblivion._

 _I wish that more people understood that. Whenever I tell someone who I am, they look at me with eyes that tell me to kill myself. I probably deserve it, but creating another corpse will not solve anything._

* * *

All that Ness had to do was sit in an auditorium and listen to President Carpainter talk. It would be easy. He didn't even have to pay attention if he didn't want to. He could probably fall asleep and nobody would care.

So why did his anxiety scream at him to turn back?

Ness shook his head, cringing as he saw the mass of people piling through the sleek auditorium doors. Crowds always made Ness feel uncomfortable. Subconsciously, he scanned the area for other entrances, but the only other one had also attracted a crowd.

"You see that kid?" Ninten whispered to Ness, pointing to an orange-haired boy who wore breastplate. "That's Claus. I encountered him yesterday; he's a real bum. You should probably steer clear of him."

Claus' shoulders tightened, although he didn't turn back to face Ninten. Had he heard the American's insulting words?

"That's not a nice thing to say, Ninten," Ness replied, unable to stop annoyance from seeping into his voice. After hearing all of the insults that people whispered about _him._ Ness didn't want Ninten talking about someone else in the same way.

"It may not be nice, but it's true," Ninten said with an unapologetic shrug. "There are just some people that nobody wants to hang out with."

"That's an even _meaner_ thing to say!" Ness hissed. "Everyone has their talents."

"Mm hmm?" Ninten asked skeptically. "What about Pokey?"

"He has parent issues," Ness replied. "I'm sure that he would be a wonderful person-"

"He _would_ be, but he isn't," Ninten interrupted. "He ended up with shitty parents, so he feels awful about himself and tries to deal with that self-hatred by abusing others. It may not be his fault, but he's a loser. Claus is the same way. I have no doubt that he has some sob story to tell, but he acts like a jerk. It's best just to accept that and move on with our lives."

Ness felt an overwhelming urge to smack Ninten. Didn't he understand how _horrible_ those words could make someone feel?

"You met this kid once and you think that you know all that about him?" Ness asked incredulously. "Maybe he's a bit gruff, but you don't know who he is on the inside!"

At that, Claus turned around, wearing a curious expression as he regarded Ness. Ness felt uncomfortable at the sight of Claus' eye patch, and then immediately felt guilty for that discomfort. Who was _he_ to judge other people's accessory choices?

"You're right," Ninten replied flatly. "I don't know who he is on the inside, but it doesn't matter. Imagine how long it would take to learn _everything_ about someone before judging them. Your way of thinking simply isn't practical, Ness."

 _But how can I not feel guilty passing judgment when I don't know the whole story?_ Ness wanted to scream.

"Maybe I don't want to be _practical,_ " Ness replied. "Maybe practical people like you are the reason that this universe is so messed up!"

Ninten's face grew deadly serious. He took a mechanical step forward, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

 _Oh no,_ Ness thought, feeling horrified at what he had said. _Did I go too far?_

"I just don't know why you're defending him," Ninten spoke. His voice seemed distant, as if he were talking to himself. "I've met Claus and you haven't. I'm telling you that he's a jerk because I _know_ firsthand."

"That sounds like something that a stuck-up aristocrat would say to Ana when she jumped in to save me from being bullied," Ness replied coolly.

"I didn't mean it like that," Ninten said.

"Then perhaps you shouldn't say it like that," Ness grumbled.

Ninten turned to stare at Ness, annoyance giving way to curiosity.

"I always thought that you were shy," Ninten said, his soft voice sending a chill down Ness' spine. "I guess that you still are. This must mean a lot to you if you are willing to confront me head on. Anything else that I say will probably make things worse, especially in my current state. Do you agree?"

Ness blinked and then nodded. As much as he hated to admit it, Ninten was probably right.

"I thought so," Ninten whispered. "I get that, Ness. We should split up for a while. That way, I can cool off… or maybe I need to warm up."

Ness felt a sickening feeling enter his stomach. He didn't want to be left alone! The thought of wading through a crowd like the one in front of him scared Ness enough to make him feel ashamed. He wanted to tell Ninten not to go, but the words froze in his throat.

"Goodbye, Ness," Ninten whispered. "Maybe you can vent about this to Ann. She's psyching _perfect_ now, so she'll probably make you feel better." _Unlike me,_ those words seemed to imply.

With that, Ninten turned and walked away, disappearing through the other entrance.

 _Divine rulers!_ Ness swore in his head. _What just happened?_

Ness couldn't help but feel guilty. He had angered Ninten into leaving, just like how he had angered Tracy back at the astroport. No wonder he couldn't make any friends! Every time that someone reached out to him, Ness repaid their kindness with betrayal.

"Hey, thanks for sticking up for me back there."

Ness turned around to see Claus standing in front of him, looking embarrassed.

"You're welcome," Ness replied, but his heart wasn't in it.

Claus seemed to sense Ness' distress, as he looked rather awkward himself.

"Er… you can totally say no to this, but do you want to sit together during the president's speech?" Claus offered. "I mean, you don't have to; it's just that you seemed scared of the prospect of being alone… bah, forget it! I know that I sound stupid. I'm sorry for making you look stupid by affiliation."

Claus turned back around, shaking his head ruefully. Ness scrambled to find words as the hope of finding company started to flee from his grasp.

"Claus," he managed.

"Hmm?" The ginger asked, turning back around.

"Yes. And thank you."

Claus' eye bulged.

"You really… don't mind sitting with me?" he asked.

"You're right," Ness said. "I _am_ afraid of being alone. Thank you for offering."

A hesitant smile broke out onto Claus' face, as if he didn't quite believe Ness' words.

"All right," Claus said. "Do you want me to lead?"

 _I'm not five,_ Ness thought, but realized that he didn't really want to go in first.

"Sure," he replied, feeling a little foolish.

Claus walked forward, scowling at the sign upon which glowing, purple stones formed the word "Auditorium".

"Is something wrong?" Ness asked.

Claus seemed to snap awake.

"Uh, nope! Nothing!"

He was a horrible liar, but Ness didn't press the issue. Instead, he followed Claus into the auditorium (luckily, the crowd had cleared out somewhat). Inside few hundred plush, red armchairs lay scattered around the room in a fashion so that everyone could clearly see the stage.

The walls of the auditorium depicted famous scenes from all eras of history. The one that stuck out most to Ness pictured a crying man standing over a dead woman. The man stared in horror at a jeweled knife in his right hand. Even in the painting, the ruby in the knife's hilt shone the color of blood.

 _Dynaldas…_ Ness thought. _The knife of power._

As a child, he had heard myths about that knife. Legend said that it drove its possessor to kill those closest to them. Legend said that with every kill, the ruby turned a little redder and its powers grew a little stronger.

Ness shook his head. Those were just legends, right? He looked back at the painting and saw blood dripping from Dynaldas' blade. Ness started to feel woozy; he had never reacted well to the sight of blood. He felt even worse, however, looking at the woman's chest, where a crimson wound lay. She had obviously been stabbed in the heart with the Dynaldas. Ness looked back up to the man. He felt disturbed by how many features he shared with the presumed murderer. They both had the same stocky build, circular face, dark hair, and dark eyes. Ness noticed only then that the man held a piece of parchment in his other hand and seemed to stare at it along with the knife. His glare carried a feral intensity that made Ness shy back.

"Emperor George's proclamation," Ness whispered to himself. "It has to be."

Claus halted, looking at Ness' face in confusion. He then looked at the painting, although his confusion did not lessen.

"Emperor George's what?" the ginger asked.

Ness looked for a hint of humor in Claus' voice and found none.

"You know, when Emperor George killed Empress Mary and then disbanded the empire 80 years ago?" Ness asked.

Claus grunted.

"Never heard of that."

"Are you serious?" Ness asked. " _Everyone_ knows that story!"

"Guess I'm alone, then," Claus said somberly.

Ness felt a pang of regret.

"I'm sorry, Claus."

The ginger only shook his head.

"Don't be. I've been alone for a whole year now. I've accepted the loneliness."

 _Oh my…_ Ness thought. _I lost most of what made me myself two years ago, but at least I had my mother to help me out._

"You don't have to feel alone," Ness whispered. "We're here for you now."

"Who's 'we'?" Claus asked, looking around the room. "You're the only person I've met who's cared about me in any way. I guess that my attitude scared most people off, but that doesn't change the fact that nobody else cares. That's a simple fact, regardless of who is at fault."

Ness fumbled.

"Ah, shit," Claus muttered. "Now I made you feel uncomfortable even though this is my problem. Man, I suck at this."

Ness remembered Ninten's words to him on the ship: _There's nothing wrong with being a wimp._

 _Should I really take Ninten's approach to comforting people?_ Ness wondered. _After all, he and Claus don't get along. Well, I suppose that I should at least try…_

"Well, there's nowhere to go but up, right?" Ness asked. "I mean, even if you _do_ suck, you have the rest of your life to improve!"

Claus looked startled, pausing to think about Ness' words as if he had never heard them before… which he probably hadn't. He did say that he had been alone, right?

"I guess you're right," Claus said, his eyes widening in wonder. "That actually helps. Thanks, Ness."

 _Something about using Ninten's words to comfort Claus still seems wrong,_ Ness thought but decided not to worry about it. He had too much on his plate already.

"You're welcome," Ness replied, feeling good about himself. Suddenly, the lights dimmed. "Looks like the speech is about to start."

Claus nodded and walked over to a pair of empty seats. Ness sat down in the chair, feeling his muscles relax as they made contact with the cushions.

"This place is really psyching nice," Claus muttered, although he seemed angry rather than pleased. "Why does each student need a psyching armchair? It's madness!"

Right then, a woman appeared out of thin air on the stage. Ness felt a chill run down his spine, but not because of her use of teleportation. The woman's long, silvery hair… her angular, oval-shaped face… her long, wiry limbs… Ness had seen this person before.

 _That smile!_ Ness thought. _It's so wrong! Why do her eyes not show pain?_

Claus looked at Ness curiously.

"Have you met the president before?" he asked.

 _The president…_ Ness thought. _Of course! This is President Minerva Carpainter!_

"Uh… no," Ness responded shakily.

"But you seem to recognize her," Claus insisted.

"I've never seen her in my life before," Ness answered truthfully.

Claus nodded.

"I believe you," he said. "But is there a chance that you've seen someone who looks just like her?"

 _Eek!_ Ness thought, the color draining from his face. Claus' guess was spot on.

"So… you've been to Vulcan," Claus mused. "And met _her_ … During the purge, I'm guessing? When was that? Two years ago?"

 _Classes haven't even started yet and I've already revealed all of my secrets!_ Ness thought hopelessly. _Both Ana and Claus already know… how long can I hide my past from the world?_

"Don't worry," Claus said, his eyes growing sad. "I won't tell anyone. I know how important secrets can be."

Ness sighed in relief.

"Thanks," he whispered, although his voice still shook.

"Welcome, everyone, to the beginning of your first year of psionics school," the woman on stage announced, her voice calming yet loud. "I am President Minerva Carpainter, and it is my pleasure to address you this evening."

Claus snorted, although Ness wasn't quite sure why.

A smile formed on Carpainter's face as she continued: "I know that many of you come here from Ceres, and I thank all of you for enrolling in this school. I understand that tuition can be quite steep, but I wish for you to know that every dollar that you and your parents spend goes to providing a better education to you all."

A few people cheered from the audience.

"A _better education?_ " Claus muttered. "Just look at these psyching seats! What a waste of money."

Ness agreed inwardly but didn't speak. He couldn't just _say_ those things in front of the president, even if she probably wouldn't hear. After all, she was the most powerful human being in the universe. To fight anything that she said seemed like madness. But a part of him wished that he could stand up to authority like Claus did, even in little ways. As a child, Ness had always been a "goody two-shoes," and it still irked him.

"And to those of you who travelled here all of the way from Earth, I lend you my deepest gratitude," Carpainter continued. "Truly, society is blessed to have such a group of able-bodied psions learning at this school."

Some people booed at this.

"Do you notice how she says the same things over and over but changes up the words slightly?" Claus asked bitterly. "That's the mark of a politician."

Ness hardly heard him, feeling a sinking feeling overtake him when people booed.

"Why don't they like people from Earth?" Ness asked.

Claus grimaced, his visible eye shining with disgust.

"It's because they're a bunch of pretentious assholes who can't _possibly_ accept the prospect of going to school with someone who had a fair chance at learning psionics despite their poor upbringing," the ginger answered.

Well, that made sense, sadly. Ana had hinted as much when she had saved Ness from Pokey.

"Now, now," Carpainter said, holding her hands up to hush the outbursts. "Psionics is a gift for us all, and the empire fell 80 years ago. No reason for discrimination remains. We must all work together to create a better tomorrow."

The grumbles quieted. That didn't stop Ness from feeling self-conscious, though.

"Because every one of you in this room shows promise," Minerva Carpainter continued, her eyes scanning the room and making eye contact with every student. She halted upon meeting eyes with Claus, her eyes widening for a fraction of a second. She recovered quickly enough that Ness would have thought that he had made the whole thing up if he hadn't heard Claus' growl. _Do they have a history together?_ Ness wondered. "At this school, we will help you expand and grow that promise until it blossoms and flowers. We will guide you through your experiences with psionics and lead you on the path of justice. Because that is what we do for _all_ young men and women who show your promise."

"Bitch," Claus muttered.

Ness blinked. Did Claus really just call President Minerva Carpainter a _bitch?_

"What happened between you two?" Ness asked softly.

Claus jolted up in his seat.

"I… don't want to say," Claus whispered, and Ness could see uncharacteristic fear in his eye. "I'm sorry, Ness, but this is a secret that I alone must carry."

Ness shrugged. He didn't particularly care, anyway.

"All right."

Claus' face relaxed.

"Thanks, Ness," he said, seeming sincerely thankful.

"Now," President Carpainter continued, "You are all probably wondering about forecasting. As the unofficial principal of this school, it is my job to ensure that you all know which options are available to you."

Actually, Ness hadn't even thought about forecasting before. Now that he did, though, he felt anxiety rush through his body, putting pressure on all of his taxed organs. He had always struggled with making decisions, and this one could impact the rest of his life.

"I regret to inform you that the first semester is largely introductory," Carpainter said, her words somehow soothing and comforting.

Ness sighed in relief. Maybe school wouldn't be so hard… at least for a while.

"Everyone is required to take History of Psionics and Introduction to Psionics as two of your five classes."

Claus scowled.

"History of psionics?" he asked. "Sounds boring as psych. Maybe I should have stayed on Vulcan."

 _You lived on Vulcan?_ Ness thought, but decided not to say anything.

"Additionally, all young men will be required to take Swordplay and all young women will be required to take Art."

 _Swordplay,_ Ness thought, feeling a ray of hope shine through. _I can do that, right? I'm not too bad with a blade… at least I wasn't, until I gave up practicing two years ago._

"Your other two classes can be chosen from the list of electives. We have hundreds of such courses here, so you may wish to give yourself plenty of time."

 _Oh gosh,_ Ness thought, feeling the stress already weigh him down. _How am I going to choose? Maybe I should get help, but a part of me is afraid of asking for anything._

"Now," Carpainter said. "I hope that you all have a _wonderful_ school year. Please know that I am rooting for every one of you."

She bowed and whispered a few words, vanishing from sight shortly after.

"Glad to have _that_ over," Claus muttered. "That woman gives me the creeps. Good thing that she only spouted generic bravado instead of using specific ideas."

 _Yep, definitely something between the two of them,_ Ness thought.

Ness and Claus followed the crowd out of the auditorium. Ness couldn't help but look at the painting that depicted Emperor George's declaration one more time. How could Claus possibly not know about that story?

 _"Maybe I should have stayed on Vulcan,"_ Ness remembered Claus say.

"Claus," Ness said. "Do you have psionic powers?"

Claus nodded.

"So when did you come to Earth? I didn't see you during the awakening."

"Never been to Earth before," Claus replied. "Met a lot of people who came from there, but I've never been myself. And judging by the people I met, I'm glad that I didn't grow up there."

Ness blinked.

"But… you have to go to Earth to activate your psionic powers!" he exclaimed.

Claus smiled. It carried an edge of danger to it.

"And how do you know that, Ness? How do you know that there aren't other ways?"

 _Were_ there other ways to awaken psionic potential? Ness had never thought about that before… He shook his head. Life on Ceres provided too much to think about. Claus and Ness walked out of the auditorium together while Ness continued to toss that idea around in his mind.

"Oh, looks like your friend Ninten," Claus said bitterly. "I should probably scram."

Ness wanted to tell Claus to stay, but the words froze in his throat. He turned to look at Ninten. The Podunk boy looked like he was under some sort of mind controlling power. He hung onto Poo deliriously, who looked uncomfortable himself.

"Err… Ness?" Poo asked in his accented voice. "Ninten started spouting random nonsense and lost touch with reality. Do you know what's happening?"

"No… Should we take him to the medical center?" Ness offered.

"That won't be necessary," came a female voice from down the hall.

Ness turned around to spot Ana and Jeff walking towards them. Jeff gasped upon seeing Ninten's delirium, but Ana seemed implacably calm.

"Ana!" Ness exclaimed. "Do you know what's happening with Ninten?"

Ana nodded, examining Ninten closely.

"Minerva Carpainter," Ninten whispered.

"What?" Poo asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Minerva Carpainter," Ninten repeated. "You will feel happy when death comes for you. That is probably more than you deserve."

Everyone's face paled but Ana.

"Don't mind him," Ana said. "He gets like this sometimes. He just spouts off random words."

"I sense some sort of psionic power in him," Poo whispered. "Do you feel it too, Ness?"

"…Yeah," Ness answered in wonder. He had never felt something like that before. It felt like Ninten's body was so tightly packed with energy that he was about to explode.

Ana sighed.

"I guess I can't hide it from you, huh? Ninten's a mystic."

All that she got were confused looks.

"Ah… I suppose that I should explain," Ana said. "He can predict the future. Accurately."

 _That_ got reactions.

"Predict the future?" Jeff sputtered. "I've never heard anything like that! How can psionics even…"

"Psychic powers," Poo whispered. "That's what psionics were originally called, because predicting the future was the first thing that the ancient people knew."

Ana nodded.

"Yeah, mystic powers don't require an awakening the way that other psionic powers do. It wasn't until the Romans that the western world learned to harness psionics more efficiently."

"So… does that mean that Minerva Carpainter will be happy in death like he said?" Ness asked.

"Most likely," Ana replied. "I've never heard of a mystic being wrong before… although, that may be because most mystics were powerful psions and didn't want their failures to be known."

"Ann," Ninten whispered deliriously. "You will know true pain. You will know pain beyond what you thought was possible. I'm sorry, Ann."

Everyone except for Ana looked startled.

 _Geez, Ninten,_ Ness thought. _Calm down!_

"Yes, Ninten, I know," Ana replied, as if she were comforting a young child.

"Er…" Jeff said. "Don't you care about what he said?"

"He's said that before to me in one of his episodes," Ana replied. "Actually, he's said that in pretty much every one of his episodes. I've grown to expect it."

 _That doesn't mean that it's not terrifying!_ Ness thought.

"Hm…" Ana said. "I think that he'll wake up if I blast him with something. Would he mind…?"

 _Err… I think so?_ Ness thought. _After all, you're going to use psionics to attack him!_

"Jeff," Ninten whispered. "The world will discover the truth about yourself that you don't even know."

Jeff took a step back, his face turning pale.

"All right, that's enough," Ana said. "Mind Thrust!"

Ninten seemed to jolt awake.

"Ah, Ann, what was that for?" Ninten asked. "I didn't even do anything… oh wait. Did I have another episode?"

Ana nodded.

"Psych it!" Ninten swore. "I haven't had one in years!"

"I think that it triggers when you're around powerful psionics," Ana said. "Carpainter's plethora of protection powers must have set it off."

 _Protection powers?_ Ness wondered.

Ninten swore again. Ana turned to the other boys.

"Let's forget that this ever happened, all right?" she asked.

Ness turned to look at Jeff and Poo. Neither one of them looked comfortable enough to deny Ana's request.

 _But how can I just… forget?_ Ness wondered. _Even if I try, my dreams won't let me forget this haunting moment._

 _I know from experience._


	8. Chapter 7: Limited Options

**That moment when my mom has to show me how my phone works because I'm totally clueless. xD And that moment when she tells me to hang out with my friends more... and that moment when she tells me to learn how to drive. I live in a backwards family. xD**

 **But I digress. Here's the next chapter, and stuff actually happens in this one! :D It's another Ninten POV (which I don't feel as comfortable writing), so comments are extra appreciated! Still, though, it feels like I keep creating more mysteries without solving any of the existing ones, which I guess I am. Hopefully, I can tie up all loose ends by the end of this fic... which is looking to be pretty long. But hey, my favorite book is 400k words long, and one of my favorite series is 4.3 million words long, so I think that I'm okay. ;)**

 **But yeah, not much else to say, other than the fact that my summer homework is starting to glare at me. I suppose that I should start on it... nah. :D**

 **Review Responses:**

 **A Fan:** **Well, I know that you wouldn't read, much less review, my stuff if you thought that I was a bad writer. Still, I think that A Polar Bear's stuff is on another level... it's better than most of the** ** _actual books_** **that I've read. Nah, Ninten snaps out of his trance eventually, but Ana wanted to end it early (if it lasted forever without the mind thrust, Ana wouldn't have hesitated). And Mind Thrust does damage, but Ana used more of a mind tap than anything else, so it didn't really hurt (it felt like a mild headache at worst). ;)**

 **A part of Carpainter's protection is probably paranoia, but she also doesn't really have a reason** ** _not_** **to protect herself. But yeah, she's a politician. They get paranoid. ;) Yeah, I'll explain the art thing sometime later (everything always takes longer than I plan D:) but the reason's not complicated, so I'll say now. Pre-fall empire culture dictated that all girls should learn art, and now that tradition has carried over as a symbol of status. Same with the swordplay, really. War isn't really a normal part of human life anymore. And yeah, Dynaldas is going to be important... I have some ideas for it, but I don't know yet which one(s) I will use.**

 **Heh, even with this long response, I think that this AN is shorter than some in City of Progress (I remember one AN that I wrote was longer than an entire chapter that I had written earlier). But yeah, Phoesong is going to have to work to keep up... or just let me take the nonexistent glory of writing obnoxiously long ANs. xD But speaking of reviews and stuff, thanks for sticking with me and my writing! It means a lot to me that you're willing to read all of my stuff and review every chapter... but still, don't feel like you have to catch _every_ chapter, especially if you have stuff going on in your outside life! :)**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Well, I'm glad to see that you like Claus! He can act a bit like a jerk, so I was a bit worried that he would turn some people off. Still, he has his reasons. :) Yeah, I try not to judge people by first impressions, although I do understand Ninten's argument. Hesitating because of hypotheticals leads to a loss of efficiency... but is it worth it to risk false accusations? But yeah, I try not to judge people much in general. I'm pretty innocent and idealistic, so that might have something to do with it... And Mind Thrust can do damage, but Ana used an extremely light version. :)**

 **Ah, I eat some pretty crazy things for breakfast as well. :) When I'm feeling like a slob, I eat salami and tortilla chips (just because I don't actually have to make anything that way). I have a friend who eats raw pasta whenever he has to feed himself. He claims that it tastes just as good as cooked pasta, but I'm not convinced... ah, humans are so lazy (and I'm a teenage boy, which makes me even _more_ lazy).**

 **And also, thanks for following all of my stories! It really means a lot to me. :) It's so nice to have people who listen and respond to the thoughts that I put on paper. It makes it seem like I'm really _releasing_ my thoughts rather than archiving them.**

 **Guest: Hey, you don't need to apologize twice (or even once)! :) As for ClausxNess, though... I don't think that will happen. D: Sorry! I don't like to add in too many gay characters/pairings because the majority of people aren't gay irl. There are a couple of characters who are homosexual in Ceres, though, so you can watch for that if you want (although you'll have to watch for a while... I'm not planning on discussing that until _much_ later). But hey, thanks for the compliment! :) It really boosts my self-confidence to hear people say that they like my writing... although, sometimes I _need_ to be told that I messed up if I want to improve. I digress, though. Thanks for the review! :)**

* * *

 _The worst part about this whole incident isn't the pain. It isn't the guilt. It's knowing that I can no longer trust myself. Every time that a thought passes through my mind, I now think: "Is this really me, or is it my father's propaganda talking?" I feel like all along, some malicious, unseen force has been working its way into my mind, pulling my strings and making me dance._

 _Sadly, that is not so far from the truth._

* * *

Ninten had a week to choose his classes, but of course he couldn't go with the logical option of considering his choices at various times throughout the week. That would be silly. So on the last day before the deadline, Ninten found himself knocking on the door to Ness' room, hoping that his look-alike could give Ninten some last-minute advice on classes to choose. He heard a soft "come in," and opened the door. Ness sat in the corner of the room, as if trying to avoid attention even when he was alone. He stared intently at the forecasting paper, which lay delicately in his hands.

 _Such a simple piece of paper,_ Ninten thought. _It's just wood pulp that's been colored blue. That little strip of wood pulp determines our fate for the next semester, which in turn could influence the rest of our lives… Although, I suppose that the cells that make up the wood pulp require processes that are just as complex as our life's decisions._ Ninten sighed. The universe became so complicated when he started to look at the details.

But enough about the paper. Ninten had the rest of his psyching life to mull about wood pulp, and he only had one day to make a decision about his classes.

"How's it going, Ness?" Ninten asked jovially, hoping to cheer him up.

"Er… not well," he answered softly. "I just don't know how to choose my class. I've already decided to take band, but I can't decide what to take for my other elective."

"So, you don't have any ideas about what else you want to take?" Ninten asked.

"Well, actually…" Ness trailed off, blushing in embarrassment.

"So you _do_ have an idea," Ninten said.

"I do, but I don't know if I should say," Ness replied, looking at Ninten nervously.

 _Great,_ Ninten thought. _He's probably scared because of my episode. I can't really blame him; I wouldn't want to share a potentially embarrassing thought with someone who periodically blurts out delirious crap._

"Well, you can talk to Ann," Ninten offered. "She's a psych of a lot nicer than I am. I bet that she could put you at ease no matter what the situation."

Ness sighed, his eyes flashing with guilt.

"Ninten…" he whispered. "It's not you. I don't care about the fight that we had about Claus' personality before the president's speech."

 _Actually, I had completely forgotten that,_ Ninten thought. _But it's good that he doesn't hold grudges. We still have completely opposite views about that issue, which is fine. We can still respect the other person's beliefs, even if we cannot empathize._

"So what's the class that you're thinking about?" Ninten asked.

Ness turned away.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Ninten said. "Some people need to think extensively before they feel comfortable voicing an opinion. I get that."

"I'm just worried that I'll be seen as girly if I take this class," Ness whispered.

 _Ah, he's terrified of making a social misstep,_ Ninten thought. _Considering his personality, that does not surprise me at all._

"Well, there's nothing wrong with being cautious, but I don't think that you should shy away from a girly class," Ninten replied. "I know a girl who could kick my ass any day of the week."

Ness' eyes lit up in shock.

"Really?" he asked. "What's she like?"

"You already know her," Ninten replied.

Ness' eyes widened further.

"You don't mean… Ana, do you?"

"Yep," Ninten answered. "She's downright _scary_ with a sword. Ann can act a bit crazy at times, especially during a swordfight. She fights like a berserker and has the strength to match."

"That… doesn't sound like Ana at all," Ness said.

"I know," Ninten replied, furrowing his eyebrows. "When I first saw Ann, I thought that she had been brainwashed. She used to act so shy… and then when she got comfortable around someone, she would sometimes turn into the berserker whom I described earlier."

"Shy?" Ness asked. "Ana? She jumped in to save me from Pokey's bullying. That doesn't seem shy at all."

Ninten nodded in confirmation. He was still trying to work his way through this murky mystery himself.

"It doesn't," Ninten said. "Jumping in to save someone from a zealous crowd is the most un-Ann thing that I can think of. She acts completely different now. Like I said, I thought that someone had brainwashed her until she started making fun of me. That's the only part that stayed the same, I guess."

"Just curious, but… you grew up with Ana, right?" Ness asked. "But you act like you haven't seen her in a long time."

Ninten nodded.

"Yeah, she moved away to Ceres a few years ago. Her parents got a job there, and she got dragged along."

Ninten purposely neglected to mention exactly what job her parents received.

 _I don't know why Ann insists on trying to keep her identity secret,_ Ninten thought. _Pretty much everyone knows what her parents do…_

"But enough about _Ann,_ " Ninten continued. "What class exactly are you considering?"

Ness bit his lip.

"Art," he finally whispered.

 _That's… pretty girly,_ Ninten thought.

"Well, I say go for it!" Ninten exclaimed, trying to act supportive. "I mean, you must really enjoy it, right?"

Ness gritted his teeth, looking like he yearned to take the class that he loved but feared the consequences.

"I just… don't know what people would say," he said softly. "Everyone already thinks that I'm a wimp."

 _Why does he even care about how random people view him?_ Ninten wondered. _I guess some people are just different._

"Maybe you should go talk to Ann," Ninten suggested. "She can make me feel better about _anything._ When we were friends on Earth, I would always come crying over to her when I needed to be comforted."

"You… did?" Ness asked, seeming more surprised than Ninten thought was necessary.

"Yeah, why not?" Ninten responded defensively. "Even back then, Ana was super empathetic, unlike me."

"I just don't think that many people would admit to crying like that," Ness said, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards to form a reserved smile.

"Well, isn't that what all boys do?" Ninten ask. "At least in America, we all acted tough and dumb because that was cool, and then we saved our screams and tears for our friends and family to deal with."

"That's a thing in Eagleland too," Ness said, "Although I hadn't fully realized it until just now. But you think that talking to Ana will help?"

"Totally," Ninten answered. "Words may hit like sticks and stones, but Ann can soothe those wounds. Trust me, she'll make you feel better, probably well enough to take Art."

"Huh," Ness said. "Are you okay if I do that now? I kind of want to get this out of the way…"

"You don't have to ask me," Ninten answered.

"Well, it would be rude if I ditched you after receiving your advice," Ness pointed out with a smirk.

"I suppose that you have a point," Ninten replied. "Sure, go ahead. Talk to Ann.

"Thanks, Ninten!" Ness exclaimed, walking out the door with enough enthusiasm to fill a playground.

Ninten strode over to the velvet-covered sofa and sat down. He looked at all of the expensive, interchangeable furniture.

 _This room looks the exact same as mine. Even though these rooms must have cost a fortune to set up, they feel… empty. There's not enough individuality to identify any room as mine or Ness'. They're all just living quarters for spoiled psionic initiates. Something about that makes me sad. I guess I worry that this school tries to print out humans the same way that it does rooms…_

 _Wait._

 _Wasn't I supposed to ask Ness for advice about my classes?_

 _…_

 _Psych it!_

* * *

After that, Ninten decided to ask Jeff about classes. After all, that kid seemed _obsessed_ with school. Surely he could help Ninten sort through the stupidly long list of classes, right?

"Sorry, Ninten," Jeff said, sitting across the cafeteria table. "I'm afraid that I can't help you."

Ninten didn't even bother to finish chewing his steak before he answered:

" _What?_ But you're totally a nerd! I thought that this would be right up your alley!"

Jeff shot Ninten a dark look.

"Just because I enjoy school doesn't mean that you have to use me as a resource to catch up," the Eagleish kid muttered.

Ninten shrugged, not quite sure why Jeff acted so annoyed.

"Well, I figured that you might not have some information to share," Ninten replied. "That way, I wouldn't have to actually do any work but it wouldn't harm you in any way."

"So it's sort of like how it wouldn't harm you to tell me why you hate about my dream profession so that I wouldn't have to figure it out myself?" Jeff asked, taking a bite out of an apple.

Ninten felt a mixture of dread and anger drain all of his positive emotions.

" _That_ was for your own good," Ninten answered harshly. "You'll be happier not knowing."

"But shouldn't I know?" Jeff asked, shooting Ninten a challenging glare. "After all, I have a moral responsibility to know what I'm getting into."

"Ignorance is bliss," Ninten maintained.

"Maybe I value being a good person over my happiness!" Jeff exclaimed. "Did you ever think about _that,_ know-it-all?"

The hypocrisy almost made Ninten spit out his steak. _Jeff_ called _him_ a know-it-all? This coming from the kid who felt the need to show off his knowledge about the Gate to Prosperity to Ness! Ninten stood up and was about to do something rash when Tony arrived at the scene.

"Whoa, there!" Tony exclaimed. "Your glares are so cold that for a second I thought that someone used PK Freeze! What's going on, Jeffster and Ninten?"

Something about Tony's passionate voice made Ninten realize how stupid he was acting. He sat back down, grumbling.

"Ninten here thinks that he can _leech_ off of the work that I didn't even do," Jeff said with a sneer. "Tell him to do his own research, Tony."

"I think that this is all one big misunderstanding," Tony said. "I think that we need to explain where Ninten is coming from."

Jeff looked hesitant, but eventually nodded.

"I believe that Ninten here sees this issue as a practical one," Tony explained. "He doesn't want you to do extra work, but he can't see a reason why he should do the work to get the same information that you already have. It's not about leeching off of you, Jeffster."

"But it's his fault for procrastinating!" Jeff exclaimed. "He should do the work by himself, or else he'll never learn how!"

 _Never learn how to work?_ Ninten thought.

A memory flashed in his mind. Ninten lay on a wooden floor, panting heavily. Every muscle in Ninten's body was sore and he could hardly keep his eyes open.

 _"Get up! Why are you just sitting there?"_

Ninten started sobbing. He couldn't take this any longer! He felt a practice sword slam into his side, but the pain wasn't what hurt the most.

 _"Get up! We're not done yet!"_

Ninten blinked back into the present, leaving him drained of all energy.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine," Ninten said, trying not to snap. "I just thought that I'd ask. Now that I know the answer, I'll be on my way, all right?"

Jeff sighed.

"Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't," he replied. "I only looked at engineering classes. I'm taking first year Engineering and Calculus. Tony here is taking first year Engineering and Trigonometry. We don't know what else is out there."

Ninten couldn't help but notice how proud Jeff seemed of taking Calculus as a first year student. Ninten sighed inwardly. He hated people who used intelligence or knowledge as a basis for personal worth.

"All right," Ninten said. "I'll talk to someone else."

"Well, good luck!" Tony shouted. "Make sure to pick something that you enjoy, all right?"

Ninten smiled as he walked away from the rainbow swirls of the cafeteria, knowing that nobody could see his expression.

"I always try, Tony," he whispered to himself. "I always try."

* * *

 _Where is Ann?_ Ninten thought, looking around as he tried to ignore the purple dome above his head. _I've looked everywhere._

Looking for Ana was how Ninten found himself standing in a courtyard. Grass lay beneath his feet and a few trees were scattered in a seemingly random formation. If it weren't for the reduced gravity and the giant purple dome above his head, Ninten would have forgotten what planet this was. He scanned the courtyard and saw someone he knew sitting on a bench.

"Hey, Poo," Ninten said, walking up to the Dalaamian. Poo seemed to be staring at something in the distance intently, although Ninten couldn't tell what. "What are you doing?"

"Not much," Poo admitted. "I was just… thinking."

"Yep, we humans do that sometimes," Ninten replied with a smile. "Is it okay if I sit down?"

Poo looked a bit flustered but nodded.

 _I wonder why he's acting so shy,_ Ninten thought. _He seemed pretty open when we talked on the spaceship, at least until he ran off. What changed?_

Ninten wanted to ask Poo about that incident again, but he could tell that the Dalaamian didn't want to talk about it. So he just sat down on the plain, white bench.

"This planet makes me feel trapped," Poo said, looking up to the purple dome in the sky. "It makes me feel constricted, constrained. It feels like no matter what I do, someone is always watching. They watch me and push me onto paths that I do not wish to tread." Poo paused. "I'm sorry. That probably doesn't make sense."

"No, it does," Ninten replied. "I know what you mean. The dome makes me feel like I cannot escape, and the culture makes me feel like I have to become a psion."

Poo nodded, staring up into the sky.

"On Earth, I used to look out into the night sky in wonder. The universe's apparent size would never cease to amaze me. Looking at the stars, I felt freer than I ever had in the daytime. The stars were my joy, my inspiration. Eventually, they became _mine._ And then I had to leave them. I didn't think about how empty that would make me feel, not until now."

"You put that much emotional investment in the stars?" Ninten asked curiously. "I don't mean to be rude, but… why?"

"The reason is simple," Poo replied with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I had nothing else."

Ninten shivered, although he tried not to show it. What would it be like, to feel like you have to resort to emotionally latching on to psyching _stars?_ Ninten had been driven by anger for the first 12 years of his life, but even then he had people whom he could invest his emotions in.

"So, Dalaam feels empty to you?" Ninten asked. "And that's why you had to resort to the stars for meaning?"

Poo nodded, his eyes seeming to age a millennium.

"Much of Dalaam's culture feels hollow to me," he explained. "Back there, status is _everything._ Well, status and money, but money is a form of status."

Ninten whistled.

"That sounds _insane,_ " he replied. "And it makes no sense. The most capable person I know has no status to speak of."

Poo smiled sincerely.

"Thank you, Ninten. That means more to me than you can know. I always thought that, but nobody else seemed to. I think that everyone gets roped in by the lure of status. We as humans like to show off, so a socially acceptable way to accomplish that ensnares the vast majority of the population."

Ninten laughed bitterly.

"I know a person like those whom you describe. She's so insecure that she shows off her possessions to cover her true self up."

"Well, not most people are not that extreme," Poo countered, "But everyone in Dalaam values status to some degree. Although, it might be better than how you westerners determine worth."

Ninten raised an eyebrow, feeling intrigued rather than offended.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I get the feeling that you westerners believe that your birth family determines your worth, at least to an extent."

Ninten nodded, feeling a slight sense of exhilaration. Somebody else understood how psyching stupid that was!

"I get what you mean," Ninten replied. "Some of those 'nobles' can't stand the thought that other people are just as human as they. It's retarded."

Poo smiled, seeming relieved that Ninten didn't take offense.

"We have a bit of that in Dalaam as well, but in a different way. If you're born into a noble family, you're expected to do great things. The status doesn't come to you; you have to earn it. I despise the way that we judge worth in Dalaam, but at least it's based off of hard work rather than factors out of anyone's control."

"That makes sense," Ninten replied, "But I don't think that all of us westerners are like that. You've met Ness and Jeff, and neither of them put much stock in noble blood. "

"But they were both born commoners, yes?" Poo asked curiously.

"Yeah, but at least only a small percentage of us have serious issues with how we determine human worth. Besides, even some noble descendants don't act like assholes. Just look at Ann."

"Ann?" Poo asked.

"Yeah, her name is Ana, but I call her Ann. She was the one who gave me a psionic slap to wake me from my delirious state, remember?"

"Oh, she was born into a noble family?" Poo asked. "She doesn't act like it."

"It's probably because she was born on Earth," Ninten realized out loud. "We're a bit less traditional over there, thankfully."

"Huh, so it appears that all cultures have a certain level of vanity worked into them," Poo observed. "And my culture just happens to rope the commoners into that vanity along with the nobles."

 _Vanity… that's a good way to put it,_ Ninten thought. _Putting excessive emphasis on status, birth or no, becomes a source of pride for people. And while there's nothing wrong with pride, it becomes an issue once people start using it to put others down… which is exactly what happened to Ness and possibly Poo._

 _Wait._

 _I'm here to ask Poo about classes!_

"Err, Poo?" Ninten asked. "I actually want you to help me with something."

"Oh!" Poo exclaimed. "I apologize for bothering you with my issues, then."

"Don't," Ninten replied. "I enjoy talking with you."

Poo smiled.

"I enjoy talking with you too, Ninten."

"Perhaps we should do this more often," Ninten suggested.

Poo sighed, his eyes filling with longing.

"That's not possible, Ninten. I'm sorry."

"Why not?" Ninten demanded.

"My father is rather vain himself," Poo explained with a sneer. "He does not wish to tarnish our _ever important_ family image by stooping so low to converse with foreigners, especially… commoners."

Ninten couldn't help but feel disgusted about Poo's father.

"And he forces you to follow those rules as well?" Ninten asked.

Poo nodded.

"Well, your father's in Dalaam, right?" Ninten asked. "He won't be able to see what you do here."

Poo started shaking, silent tears rolling down his face. His teeth started chattering as he put his hands over his mouth in embarrassment. His eyes grew wide in horror, telling Ninten that this reaction had come unbidden. Ninten didn't know what to do, other than feel horrified at how terrified Poo seemed. He would have guessed that that Poo would have curled into a ball, but that instinct seemed to have been beaten out of him long ago.

"What did your father _do_ to you?" Ninten hissed.

"I'm sorry," Poo whispered. "I can't… make friends, not with foreigners. I'm sorry, Ninten. I…"

 _Divine rulers!_ Ninten swore in his head. _What the psych happened to him?_

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Ninten asked softly.

Poo shook his head, taking out a tissue and blowing his nose.

"I'm sorry, Ninten," Poo repeated. "I… can help you with your request, if you wish."

 _Oh,_ Ninten thought. _I had already forgotten about that. I feel terrible about Poo, but if there's really nothing that I can do… I should probably take his offer._

"Thanks," Ninten said. "I can't imagine how hard this is for you. I was just wondering if you had any ideas for classes that I should take."

When spoken like that, his request sounded trivial and stupid. Ninten worried that Poo would react negatively, but the Dalaamian actually seemed to brighten up.

"For your remaining two classes, I would go Philosophy and Contemporary Literature," Poo replied without missing a beat.

"How…" Ninten trailed off.

"How did I come up with those answers so quickly?" Poo finished. He had stopped crying by now, which made Ninten feel a _little_ more comfortable. "Those were the classes that I wanted to take. Sadly, I can't because of the special path that my father wishes for me to take at school, but… well, we are similar people, Ninten. I think that you would enjoy those classes."

 _Huh, Philosophy and Contemporary Literature, huh? I guess that those could be cool… I do like dealing with ideas rather than realities, and I always enjoy a good debate._

"Thanks, Poo," Ninten whispered, marking those classes down on his forecasting sheet. "It really touches me that you're willing to support me even though you're going down a path that you cannot escape. If you ever need help with _anything,_ I'll always be open, all right?"

Poo started crying again.

 _Divine rulers!_ Ninten thought. _I must have said the wrong thing…_

"You care about me," Poo whispered, staring into Ninten's eyes in wonder. "You're not like my family back in Dalaam who only want me to succeed so that they look good. You actually _care_ about me. I…" Poo broke down into sobs. "And after only knowing me for a week, too!"

Ninten felt both touched and horrified, touched that Poo valued his support so highly and horrified that the Dalaamian prince had nobody else.

"Poo…" Ninten spoke, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm… all right," Poo said. "Really, I feel much better knowing that _somebody_ cares. Please… have a good day, all right?"

Ninten nodded, knowing that any words of consolation would seem hollow.

"Goodbye," he whispered, looking around at the grass and trees. They seemed so _fake,_ somehow. "And good luck. I hope that your story has a happy ending."

Ninten walked away, not having the heart to look at the somber expression that doubtless came to Poo's face.


	9. Chapter 8: Unexpected Reunion

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with another chapter, in case you couldn't tell. ;) The plot is still inching along ever so slowly, meaning that classes actually start now (in the story, not irl)! This was supposed to be ch. 4, but everything always takes longer than I think it will.**

 **And also, I decided that there weren't enough characters, so I introduced more. And these ones won't be the last! :) Oh no, I'll do my best to give George RR Martin a run for his money (and probably still fail by a mile, but it's the thought that counts :P). Wait... there are over 800 characters in Game of Thrones? ...All right then, I guess all of my hopes and dreams are ruined. D:**

 **In all seriousness, though, I will try to do my best to make each character count. I know that there are a lot, so I try to make sure not to make any two characters so similar that it becomes confusing. Please tell me if this happens so that I can find a way to make each one stand out.**

 **And I just realized that I have a habit of sticking Ana into pretty much every scene because her social skills fit so well with what I'm trying to accomplish. At this point, she's basically the fourth main character. Oops. :x**

 **And again, thank you everyone for your support. It means the world to me. :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **FalconerET:** **Well, thanks for taking the time to review on this site! :) For future reference, though, I'm fine if you review through PM or Skype. :) I'll just be glad to get a review at all! And I know that a lot of authors use that style of internal monologue, although I do think that I use it more than most. I'm glad that you like it! And I don't really understand what you mean about the contradictions thing (I must be doing it subconsciously). Is it a good thing or a bad thing? And thanks! :) I was hoping that these stories would get a bit more popular after I got some experience, which doesn't seem to be happening. But it does make me feel better to hear that. :)**

 **A Fan: Well, City of Progress had a happy ending for most of its characters. It's not out of the question for Poo (but it's certainly not a guarantee). And yes, "Divine Rulers" is a curse. It's like how saying "my god," used to be offensive. More info on that later. :) And yeah, Ninten's pretty forgetful, mostly because his mind wanders a lot and his brain is only able to deal with one issue at a time (like me, he's a terrible multitasker). As for art being girly, I agree that it's silly. Again, more on that later (I'm making it a personal goal to tell my readers less and have them figure out more on their own, sorry! But totally, keep asking these questions. When you do, it alerts me that they need answers, which I can slip into my later chapters). And the Ninten flashback is from a while ago (see, I still answer _some_ of your questions :D). I was actually planning on adding in a bit more background for that flashback, but it sounded super awkward so I left it out.**

 **As for Calc and Trig, remember that these kids are 15, so it's the equivalent of 2nd year high school. I know plenty of people who took 1st year Calc as a sophmore in high school. And then there's my friend who skipped a grade and _still_ took Calc as an 8th grader. He would always talk to me about how easy it was, and it didn't seem easy at all when I got there. xD But yeah, Jeff's pretty smart and his education is better than most of what we have in this world, so going into Calc at age 15 isn't anything super special.**

 **The series that I was talking about isn't my all-time favorite, but it is _one_ of my favorites. I would be hesitant to recommend it because while the writing is spectacular and the ideas are wonderful, it has some pretty significant issues. Protagonists are annoying, people hold grudges for way too long (longest one that I can think of spans 10 books and about 3.5 million words) over simple misunderstandings, and the plot is super slow. But if you can take those, feel free to give it a try! It's called The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. Now, my _favorite_ series of all time only has two books in it (so far), although it spans about 800k words. It's called Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, and it's a lot of my inspiration for worldbuilding. Out of all of the fantasy worlds, Stormlight Archive's Roshar is my favorite. I really like how he ties customs and cultures to the world's history. The series also has wonderful characters with rich backstories and can get quite philosophical at times. I also picked up on a lot of Sanderson's style, such as using a single sentence paragraph when I want a point to really stand out. **

**Well, that response was super long. DX Guess I have way too much time on my hands...**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Wait... what? *Looks through the last review* Uh... I never would have known if you hadn't told me. I don't know how any of that could _possibly_ be taken in a mean way. For someone who was annoyed, you sure used a lot of smilies. xD**

 **Well, there's a difference between writing well and being comfortable writing. Ninten's character is naturally more interesting than some of the others (still haven't figured out how to make Jeff stand out D:), but I sometimes have difficulty with writing about him because we're so different. Generally, though, the finished product turns out pretty well (relatively speaking).**

 **Yeah, one way that I feel that I've improved is keeping the plot together. I have an idea in my head of a bunch of scenes that I want, but I don't always know where I want them to go. For example, I wanted to put in a conversation between Ninten and Poo like the one last chapter, but I didn't know how to introduce it (because I don't want it to be seen as sideplot filler). I eventually realized that it would go well in the forecasting chapter, and the element of choosing classes would keep the scenes bound together tightly enough that they don't seem scattered. Yeah, I know what you mean about things being all over the place. If you look at some of the later chapters of City of Progress, you'll see that they tend to be rather scattered as well.**

 **I don't think that art is girly either, but culture in this universe is different. More on that later. Yeah, Poo's life has been a little rough so far... but he's not the only one. ;) I'm going to leave you with that ambiguous statement.**

 **I'm totally the same way where I don't try to judge and I hate how often I do. The worst is when a racist or sexist idea pops into my head. D: But hey, we can't control the random ideas that pop into our minds; we can only control how we act upon them. That's why I try not to blame people for _thinking_ bad things, because, well... everyone does. And salami is a lunch food. :) I've never tried raw pasta, so I wouldn't know xD. When I'm feeling really lazy, I just slap some lunchmeat between some bread and call it good. And I don't even know how to make eggs... well, I probably could if I tried hard enough, but it would take multiple trials. xD**

 **Thanks! :) At first when writing these stories, I was sad that they weren't as popular as most other multichapter stories (because I put a _lot_ of work into these stories). Like, New Frontier only had three followers. But then I realized that what I really wanted wasn't some number of how many people liked my stories. I wanted to be able to talk about them with other people, and I had already been gifted that without knowing how much it meant to me. So I'm _super_ happy that you and A Fan are supporting me through these stories. It means more to me than any number of follows or favorites.**

 **DarkFoxKit: Oh, wow! That must mean that I did a decent job with Poo's character, huh? Well, I hope that your friend gets his self esteem up. :(**

 **Heh, there will be even more mysteries in this chapter! :D But I'm glad that you're enjoying them, and I promise that I will reveal all eventually. But the Fuel and Lucas thing is going to take a while...**

 **Thanks for the advice! :) Stuff like that can be tricky because just saying "Character X was inside now" is pretty boring. Like you always say: show, don't tell. That creates an interesting challenge because I want to be subtle about the way that I depict the scenery, but I still want them to understand it. My scene descriptions are pretty weak for starters, which doesn't help. Thanks for pointing it out! :)**

 **And yeah, even I haven't figured out Ninten. xD He and Ana are probably the most complicated characters in this story.**

* * *

 _I worry about Minerva._

 _She tries to do so much for this universe. She's petitioned to the president of Ceres for months to get father executed, which would be a massive step forward for humanity, nearly akin to the empire's fall 78 years ago. Minerva has always been so strong… but now she has do deal with me, her sniveling, misguided twin._

 _I don't know how much of me she can take._

* * *

Ness stood on a frozen lake, oblivion extending in every direction but down. He had found himself in a secluded world, with nothing but the weary cold to keep him company. Ness felt the ice sear his feet (he didn't have his shoes on) as a gust of wind chilled his bones. He shivered, feeling his body work desperately to maintain proper body temperature. Somehow, Ness could still think logically through the overwhelming cold.

 _I can't last long like this… but there's nowhere to go! I'm stuck on the frozen lake with no way to escape!_

In that moment, Ness felt so _alone._ Loneliness was what he had dreaded most about coming to Ceres, and he had found it one of his dreams. Ness shook his head, dispelling his sorrow. But nothing that he could do would take away the fatigue of having to remain vigilant. He almost wished that the pain would worsen, if only so that he wouldn't have to feel so tired. Ness gritted his teeth. No point in standing around here; he had to move! If he was going to freeze to death, he would do so trying to make his way to safety.

Ness gingerly raised one of his legs, taking his foot off of the ice. He sighed as the burning feeling departed. He eventually had to put his foot back down on the frozen lake, feeling a flash of icy pain. He lifted the other leg, but it was harder this time. Either his strength was failing, or the ice was starting to lock his feet in place.

 _Such a vivid dream,_ Ness thought. _I can see the ice clearly, with all of its murky imperfections. I can feel the cold infiltrate my body and shut down my organs. I can hear the wind barreling forward as it tries to wear me down._

Ness tentatively touched a finger to his tongue.

 _And I can taste my own finger. How many dreams allow me access to four of my basic senses? Is this even a dream?_

A chill ran down Ness' spine from fear rather than cold. If this wasn't a dream… would he die here?

In the blink of an eye, the scenery switched. Ness now found himself standing on fiery rocks that overlooked and pool of magma. Rocky walls blocked any possible escape route. Strangely, the heat didn't feel refreshing to Ness. It seemed like his body had already adjusted to its regular body temperature, and therefore felt uncomfortable when confronted with the smoldering heat.

A heat wave passed over Ness, causing him to sweat furiously. Once again, his feet had it the worst. He could feel them slowly roasting on the rocks upon which they stood.

 _What's happening?_ Ness thought desperately. _Why am I even here?_

Again, Ness lifted his legs up, and again the motion provided only a brief respite. Before long, he started to feel light-headed.

 _I'm getting dehydrated… what do I do?_

He wobbled around, coming scarily close to falling over. If the fiery stones could char his feet, he didn't want to see what they could do to his face.

After a few more minutes of agony, the scene changed again. This time, Ness found himself floating in an ocean of nothingness. He got the sense that he was falling, but he couldn't tell which direction he was headed.

 _"Ness…"_

"What?" Ness asked, his voice echoing in the emptiness. "Did someone say my name?"

 _"Ness… save me…"_

 _I'm not in a position to save anyone right now,_ Ness thought wryly, flailing his arms as he tried to orient himself.

"Who are you?" Ness asked.

 _"Please… it hurts…"_

"I… I'll try to help!" Ness shouted shakily.

 _"Why…? Why did I do this?"_

"Hang on!" Ness shouted. "I'm coming!"

 _"Pain… pain can be sweet. Ness…"_

"Don't worry!"

Ness thrashed around in the emptiness, not able to accomplish anything.

 _"I am sorry,"_ the voice said sadly. It sounded strangely deep, carrying a thousand shades of sorrow.

"Sorry?" Ness asked. "What for?"

 _"I have failed this world."_

Ness jolted awake, looking around his room to make sure that it was real. He scanned the posh furniture in his room. All of it looked normal. Ness released a sigh of relief.

 _So it was just a dream… but why did it feel so real?_

Ness struggled to think of a reasonable answer. He found none.

(ILH)

Ness stood outside of a classroom next to Jeff, feeling his stomach toss and churn.

"Is this the right room?" Ness whispered.

"Well, considering that it has the same room number as the one that it says to go to on our schedule, I would assume so," Jeff replied.

"Oh," Ness said. When put that way, his question seemed so _stupid_.

"Well, we should probably head in," Jeff said with a relaxed smile. Ness could tell that the blonde was more excited than he let on.

Right then, Ness caught sight of Poo walking down the hall towards them. This time, mocking words followed him.

"Savage!"

"Dalaamians can't use psionics! Everyone knows that they're too dumb!"

"Go back to Asia!"

Poo's mouth tightened as he strode up to Ness and Jeff.

"Shall we go in?" he asked coldly.

"But… what about those people?" Jeff asked, pointing to the verbal attackers down the hall.

"I'm used to it," Poo muttered. "Humans are xenophobic by nature. Most Dalaamians consider outsiders to be savages as well. It's how the world works. Are you going to open the door, or shall I?"

Jeff seemed unsettled by Poo's icy tone but opened the door, motioning for Poo to go in first. The Dalaamian entered without hesitation.

"Yeah, run away from us!" a voice down the hall shouted.

"You Dalaaminas can't fight for shit!"

"Get out and leave the education for those who deserve it!"

Those words caused a sinking feeling to enter Ness' heart. Why did these people have to act so _mean?_ Shaking his head, Ness entered the room, Jeff following closely behind.

Ness knew that this school on Ceres took luxury to another level, but he hadn't expected what he saw before him. Desks were equipped with fancy tools that Ness didn't recognize. Behind each desk lay an armchair with enough cushions to suffocate a baby.

"Why do they think that we need all of this?" Ness asked himself, shaking his head.

"It makes them feel elitist," came a gruff voice from behind him.

"Claus!" Ness exclaimed, turning around. "You're in this class?"

He nodded, his visible eye tightening. Even in a classroom, his stiff posture and breastplate made him seem imposing. It didn't help that he stood six inches above Ness.

"This is Intro to Psionics, remember?" Claus asked. "Everyone has to take it. I guess they put all of us psionic initiates in the same section."

Claus pointed to a group of people. Ness followed his finger and recognized Poo, Ninten, Ana, and…

"Paula," Ness whispered, too quietly for most people in the room to hear. "You _are_ here."

"Hmm?" Claus asked.

"We're childhood friends," Ness explained.

Claus grunted.

"Guess it's a small universe, huh?"

Ness nodded, feeling anxiety take control of his body. What would Paula say to him after being away for so long? No, he couldn't worry about that now. Ness took a tentative step forward, a dozen possible outcomes spiraling through his head. Paula looked up and locked eyes with Ness. She had the same golden hair and ocean-blue eyes as Ana. Paula shied back, clasping a cross that hung on a necklace. Ness hadn't expected that; Paula had always been sociable and confident.

"Paula?" Ness asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Stay away from me!" Paula shouted, breathing heavily as she raised her arms to protect herself. "Stay back!"

 _What?_ Ness thought. He could almost hear his heart break into two.

"Paula, it's me!" Ness exclaimed. "You know, Ness?"

"Stay… back…" Paula panted, her eyes widening in terror. She grabbed onto her cross again, although Ness didn't know what that meant.

Ness took another step forward. He _had_ to help, somehow… He let out a yelp as a hand grabbed onto his arm. Ness tried to shake free, but the person's iron grip didn't even loosen.

 _Alright,_ Ness thought. _Just who thinks that they can…_

Ness turned around and gasped as he saw that _Ana_ was grabbing his arm. Concern covered her face as she took alternating glances at Ness and Paula.

 _Well, I guess Ninten was right about Ana having a berserker's strength…_ Ness thought. _Or maybe I'm just really weak. Probably a combination of the two._

"Ana," Ness said, feeling betrayed. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ninten asked, walking up and scanning the scene so casually that Ness wanted to punch him. "Paula's scared of you for some reason. You coming closer will only make things worse."

 _Paula is… scared of me?_ Ness thought. _No, that can't be. There's some mistake. Paula would never be afraid of me…_

"Ness," Ana whispered, empathy shining through. "I _know_ how it feels not to be able to help someone you care about. Trust me. I know just how _awful_ that lack of power feels."

Ness looked at Ana's eyes. They glimmered with sincerity and pain. Ness nodded slowly.

"So _please_ believe me when I say that Ninten's right," Ana continued, her pained eyes revealing just how many of Ness' emotions she understood. "You trying to help her will only make things worse."

Ninten nodded.

"Best to let her have some space."

But Ness couldn't accept that. He finally found Paula again after all of these years, and she was _terrified_ of him? It simply wasn't possible.

"Please," Ness whispered. "Please. I can't just sit back and watch her suffer like this because…" Ness gulped. "Because of me."

Paula looked at Ness curiously, as if surprised that he didn't bear fangs at her. Slowly, she let her hands fall away from the cross on her necklace.

"Well, you kind of have to," Ninten said. "Like Ann said, I know that this is tough. I know that this might crush you. But it has to happen."

Ness felt anger surge through his veins. How _dare_ Ninten force him away from Paula? …But through that anger, Ness had to admit that he was probably right.

"Sometimes, true strength is knowing when to let go," Ninten said, his onyx eyes making him seem wise beyond his years.

Ness sighed, feeling defeated as he took a step back. Ana released him from her grip, looking at him with in concern.

"Thanks, Ness," Ana said. "How about I keep an eye on Paula and make sure that she's okay? Maybe I can get her to say why she's afraid of you."

A torrent of emotions raged through Ness' body. On the one hand, _he_ wanted to be the one to make sure that Paula was okay, but on the other hand, he recognized that Ana would probably make Paula feel better than anyone else would.

"Okay," Ness whispered.

Ana smiled, which sent a feeling through Ness' system that he couldn't quite describe.

"I'll try my best, Ness," she said. "I can tell how much Paula's emotions mean to you."

At this, Paula looked more closely at Ness.

"Ness," she whispered, flinching as she spoke his name.

Seeing her in that amount of pain was too much for Ness to take.

"Paula!" he shouted. _What happened to you?_

Paula gritted her teeth, staring at him through broken eyes. Her hands went back to the cross on her necklace.

"You will hurt me, won't you?" she whispered.

"What?" Ness asked. "No! I would never!"

Paula only shrunk back further.

 _What's happening?_ he wondered desperately. _This can't be Paula. She always acted so brave… so strong… this can't be her!_

"Ness," Ana said. "Please let me handle this. I know that it hurts, but anything that you say will make things worse."

"…"

"Here, let's go back to our seats, all right?" Ninten said, walking towards vacant chairs. "Ann's psyching _perfect_ now. She'll have this issue worked out in no time."

Ness took one last glance at his childhood friend and followed Ninten to the pair of armchairs. They found thems right next to where Jeff and Tony were sitting. With a sigh, Ness sat down, feeling like he was drowning in the cushions.

"Dude," Tony said to Ness. "You made that lady feel _awful._ What kind of gentleman are you?"

Ness couldn't force himself to say anything through his guilt.

"Psych off," Ninten snarled, pointing a finger at Tony. "That wasn't his psyching fault!"

"Ninten," Ness whispered. "I don't need you to fight for me."

"Not his fault?" Tony asked. "He made her feel bad. How is that not his fault?"

"It was her psyching choice to act like a beaten animal!" Ninten answered, his brutal snarl making Tony flinch. "Ness did _nothing_ wrong, or at least nothing that he knows. If he did something to scare her, she needs to psyching _tell_ him about it!"

Tony snorted, shaking his head.

"Or maybe Ness could respect her emotions," he said, rising up to meet Ninten's aggressive tone.

"Or maybe you two could talk about me like I'm here," Ness whispered.

Ninten didn't seem to notice Ness; he looked too preoccupied with Tony to focus on anything else.

"You're psyching ridiculous!" Ninten shouted. "He walked near her and she acted like he was some sort of monster! What was he supposed to do?"

"She probably had a reason for viewing him that way," Tony countered.

Jeff looked up at Ness, grimacing. He didn't seem to like the way that the two of them were arguing either.

"Well if she did, she has to psyching _explain_ that!" Ninten exclaimed. "She can't expect to act all scared without a rationale and be taken seriously."

Tony shook his head, looking disgusted.

"Whatever happened to chivalry, Ninten?" he asked.

"It's _psyching_ retarded!" Ninten answered. "Not only is it a tool for narcissism, it's also fundamentally wrong. Paula happens to be a young female. Why does that matter? She's still a human being, not some fragile trophy for you to put behind a glass case!"

Tony's face flushed a bright crimson. He opened his mouth angrily, but nothing came out. Ness and Jeff also fumbled for words. Chivalry was a basic part of life in Onett, even after the empire's fall. Ness could tell that seeing Ninten insult one of the basic principles of Eagleish life made everyone feel uncomfortable.

"I understand that this issue carries bitter memories for you, but please refrain from using profanity," came a soothing voice from behind Ness. "We are in a classroom, after all."

Ness turned around to see a middle-aged man with silver hair and an easygoing smile. His pose seemed confident yet somehow calming. Ness pictured him as someone who could respond to any situation without inciting mayhem. He wasn't particularly tall, but that aura of his made him stand out… along with the robes that marked him as a teacher.

"I… uh… er…" Ninten sputtered. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to…"

The teacher smiled, erasing all of Ness' worries. He looked over to Ninten, who also seemed to relax.

"I understand," he said. "Different issues carry different levels of importance for different people. This issue seems to weigh on your mind heavily. Perhaps you have a past with this subject?"

Ninten's jaw dropped. He looked up at the teacher with wide eyes, seeming dumbfounded.

"How did you know?" Ninten asked in wonder.

 _Uh… it's pretty obvious,_ Ness thought.

"People are not so hard to read, once you can tell what to look for," the teacher said. He turned to look at Ness. "Like this student here. He's at the heart of this issue, but he feels lost in the chaos." The teacher put a hand on Ness' shoulder. "I'm sure that your friend will warm up to you. She just needs time."

Something about the teacher's soothing voice made Ness believe that Paula _would_ warm up to him. Suddenly, the creamy, white walls and ceiling around him seemed a little more pure.

Ness looked up at the teacher. For a second, instead of looking at the silver haired man who stood in front of him, Ness saw a man with a similar posture, standing confidently tall but not seeming intrusive or intimidating. This man had Ness' jet-black hair and eyes, but his calm posture made him seem vastly different from the Onett boy. Ness' heart filled with longing, longing that he tried and failed to cover up.

"Father…" he whispered, softly enough so that only he could hear.

"I'm… sorry that I ignored you, Ness," Ninten said, bringing Ness back to the present. He did look apologetic, but his face carried a surprising lack of shame. "I'll try to think more about how you feel next time, all right?"

Ness nodded, feeling embarrassed.

"I'm sorry too," Tony muttered, although Ness couldn't tell if he was sincere behind that dark look of his.

"It is good that you two admit your faults," the teacher said. "To grow, we must recognize our mistakes. Now, I believe that it is time for class to start."

The teacher walked up to the front of the classroom, standing right in front of a giant screen. It was only then that Ness realized that pretty much everyone in the room was staring at him and Ninten. The judging eyes of strangers always made Ness feel uncomfortable, especially when they were teenagers about his age.

"Greetings, class," the teacher announced with a genuine smile. "Welcome to the first day of Introduction to Psionics. My name is Mr. Agerate, and I will be your teacher for this class. Well…" he paused, looking up to the ceiling in thought. "Actually, I am not the only teacher for this section. I often have complications with my schedule, so you may see other teachers in here quite often. But enough about me, why don't you all introduce yourselves?"

Mr. Agerate had each student say their name and one characteristic that defined them. With about 30 students in the class, this process took a few minutes. Some of the people said characteristincs that Ness had already figured out (Poo simply said that he came from Dalaam while Ninten said that "You guys already know this, but I scream like a heavy metal singer when I get annoyed," which the class seemed to enjoy) but others revealed attributes that surprised him (Ana had an interest in psychology and Claus had lived in an isolated village for most of his life). When it came to Ness, though, he had no idea what to say.

"Hello, my name is Ness and I…" he trailed off. "I don't know anything that defines me, really."

"Well, you seem to have a habit of making girls cry," one of the students suggested mockingly.

Other students chuckled, but Ninten's murderous eyes silenced them in an instant. Ness had to put a hand on Ninten's shoulder to keep him from flying into another frenzy. Still, he almost felt glad that Ninten was getting so worked up about this issue. That way, he didn't have to feel as guilty about how much that student's words hurt him.

"Now there," Mr. Agerate said to the student who had insulted Ness. "That was quite uncalled for. Even if you did know what happened between Ness and Paula, which you don't, calling him out like that is quite rude. Please refrain from further comments of that sort."

To that, the student shrugged apologetically, which did make Ness feel better.

"Now, Ness," Mr. Agerate continued. "I do understand that it can be difficult to come up with a single characteristic that defines you as an individual. As our psychology star Ana probably knows, the human mind is complex and doesn't always take the easiest path to analyzing information. There has to be something there that defines you as a person. Do you play a sport, perhaps?"

Ness blinked. How had he known?

"Yeah," Ness said. "I actually have an interest in baseball."

After that, all of the other kids seemed to respect Ness more. Because while they still probably saw him as a wimpy kid, they could accept a wimpy kid who played baseball.

The rest of the class, Mr. Agerate explained the basic curriculum before introducing some basic principles of psionics. All classes were divided into two four month semesters with a one-month break in the winter for Independence Day. The first semester focused on psions (apparently there were different types) and other psionic occupations (such as wilders, psychic warriors, and other fancy names that Ness didn't understand). By the end of the semester, psionic students were expected to choose an occupation that they wish to dabble in, which, along with a basic outline of psionic science and psionic engineering, would take up the second semester. Ness would have paid closer attention, but his mind was preoccupied with Paula. He spent so much time worrying about her that he almost missed the dismissal at the end of class.

Ness was the last one to step out of the door, trying to remember what Mr. Agerate had taught during class.

"Boring as psych, huh?" Claus asked once they were out in the hallway.

"I… don't really know, honestly," Ness said. "I didn't really pay attention. I was too worried about Paula."

Claus smiled. It looked strangely natural.

"I know the feeling. A mixture of guilt, sorrow, and nostalgia. Wanting to go back to the time when life was good but knowing that you can't."

At those words, Ness felt a sense of longing in his heart. It gnawed away at his organs, leaving only sorrow in its wake.

"Yeah," Ness whispered.

"Oh, look, it's Ms. Psychology," Claus said, staring at Ana with his visible eye as she walked towards them.

"No need to degrade my interests, Claus," Ana said, striding up to Ness.

Claus snorted.

"You should feel lucky that you have interests," he said, his bitter tone making Ness feel uncomfortable.

"Everyone has interests," Ana replied. "It's whether or not we pursue them that matters. Luckily for me, psionics and psychology are… linked. So yes, I do feel lucky. But I don't think that you should begrudge me of my luckiness."

"I suppose," Claus conceded.

"Did you help Paula?" Ness asked hopefully.

Ana sighed, sending a sinking feeling through Ness' body.

"I managed to convince her that you're not out to hurt her," Ana said, "But not much more than that. She's so broken that I don't know what I can do. She wouldn't even tell me why she felt scared of you in the first place."

Ness opened his mouth, wanting to ask Ana to say that she wasn't serious, but no words came out. Ness looked down at the floor and shuffled his feet. Would Paula really fear him… forever?

"Do you have any idea why she acted that way around you?" Claus asked Ness. "It's not normal for someone to act that scared over nothing, even if they're a girl."

Ana raised an eyebrow but said nothing in response to Claus' sexist comment.

"I… have no idea," Ness whispered. "The last time that we saw each other was five years ago. She was moving away from Onett, and we both felt horrified at the prospect of being separated. We begged their parents to stay, but of course they didn't listen. The last I remember of her before today was her holding me and telling me how everything would be okay. She was always the strong one, you see… I felt like I needed her guidance. She was my friend, but she also acted like a second parent to me."

"Second parent?" Claus asked. "You only had one?"

Ness gulped.

"Well… my father was always away. He worked on Vulcan, so we hardly ever saw each other."

"He 'worked' on Vulcan?" Claus asked. "He's not working there anymore?"

 _Eek!_ Ness thought, hitting himself mentally for letting that slip.

"I… uh… well…"

Ana put a hand on his shoulder. Her smile erased all of his anxiety.

"We won't press the issue, Ness," she said. "Right, Claus?"

"Uh… yeah!" Claus replied, looking uncomfortable as he fiddled with his eye patch. "Of course! I don't care. Not really…"

"Thanks," Ness whispered. "I don't know what I would do without you, Ana."

Ana blushed, but she didn't shy back and act dainty like most girls in Onett would have.

"I'm sure that you would manage, Ness," she said. "You're such a _wonderful_ person, after all."

Ness' eyes shot wide open.

"Do you really think so?" he asked. For some reason, Ana's validation meant the world to him.

"I really do," she replied. "It shows from the way that you care enough about Paula to help… and the way that you care enough about her to hold back. It's truly wonderful to see, Ness."

Now Ness was the one blushing. His heart raced as he felt a different kind of anxiety well up in his heart. He looked to Claus, who offered him a weak shrug that seemed to say: "I have no expertise in this area. You're on your own."

"Thanks, Ana," Ness said. "That means more to me than you can know."

Ana smiled at him, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"How about we grab something to eat?" she asked. "The cafeteria's open all day."

Ness nodded enthusiastically.

"Are you coming, Claus?" Ness asked.

"I don't know," Claus replied, seeming surprised at the question. "Am I invited?"

"Sure," Ana said.

"Really?" Claus asked. "I got the impression that you don't really like me."

"Well, I can't really judge without knowing you a bit better, can I?" Ana asked. "I mean, our first encounter was so _businesslike._ "

Claus shrugged.

"I suppose." He seemed to relax. "Let's go, then."

In spite of everything that happened with Paula, Ness broke out into a smile.

 _Between Mr. Agerate and Ana, I think that I can survive life on Ceres,_ he thought.


	10. Chapter 9: Swords and Crosses

**Hey, everyone! Summer's starting to come to a close, sadly. I still have a couple more weeks before school starts, and while I'm looking forward to some of my classes, I would rather spend my time working on this story. D: Oh, and college apps are coming up. Fun stuff (sarcasm).**

 **If you guys write stuff, then you probably know this feeling: This chapter is longer than I expected. But that's a good thing... right? Maybe? *shrugs* I don't even know anymore. I told myself that I'd stick to writing 2.5-3.5k word chapters (without the obnoxiously long ANs), but this one is almost 6k long. D: Maybe I'll scale back on the chapter length later... or maybe it will keep increasing. DX**

 **Oh yeah, religion talk in this chapter. A lot of it has a historical basis (history for my world, not the real one). The chapter explains it, so I don't think that I need to say anything else. But if you get offended, please read between the lines and think about _why_ the characters say certain things before you rage at me. You guys have been super cool with letting me talk about religion in the past, so let's keep that up, all right? :)**

 **And I've discovered that Ana is probably my favorite character in this story, so she gets way too much screen time (to the point that she's basically the fourth main character). Sorry!**

 **And thank you to everyone who sent a review! :D It really makes me happy to hear so many people responding to my work.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **The-Great-Me-sama:** **Yeah, pretty much. xD Claus has no social skills to speak of, and he's kind of unpleasant... which is why Ninten says that he's the type to avoid. And more characters are still coming (Don't know how I'm going to deal with them all)**

 **A** **Fan: Never played Other M, but I'll take your word for it. And hey, keep it up with your theories! :D It makes me happy to see you thinking so much about my stories. As for how accurate this one is... I won't say. ;)**

 **Yeah, racism is still a thing, as is sexism, classism... yeah. Remember, the universe is in the equivalent of the renaissance (only 80 years after the dark ages), so many customs are pretty archaic.**

 **Yep, the dream is important, just like a lot of other stuff. *regards all of the remaining plot set-up that needs to be told and sighs* And yeah, the two of them will appear again relatively soon (not in this chapter, though). I have so many characters that I sometimes don't know what to do with them. xD**

 **Guest: Yes, Kuma, Duster, Teddy, and Loid will be in this story (and they all play semi-important roles). :) Pippi will probably make a cameo and I have no plans for Picky.**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Well, I hope that you don't mind the similar dreams in future chapters! ;) Actually, the next one is pretty different. And don't feel like you have to get something right if you guess! Being wrong is totally fine (and I don't think that anyone would have guessed it, at this point). I mean, don't guess unless you're comfortable, but I would totally love to see what you think. :) But if you don't want to, that's also cool. I don't want to pressure you into doing something that you don't want to.**

 **And I also hope that you're okay with the other characters, because some of them have issues/pasts more serious than Paula's. D: I don't know why, but I always end up giving my characters super sad backstories (I didn't give one to Jeff this time, though! :D).**

 **Yeah, both Ninten and Tony are pretty impulsive, and they have pretty different mindsets. I'm trying to squeeze more of Tony into my upcoming chapters, but there's just so much to cover! But yeah, there's a lot of prejudice about gender roles in this universe... it is only 80 years after a medieval-esque rule, after all! I'm just glad that I didn't get any hate for that scene. I can picture someone being like "Don't buy into that feminist BS," which always makes me kinda sad. D:**

 **Last chapter was the first mention of Ness' father (except from a couple of _really_ subtle references in earlier chapters). Still no mention of Lucas or Fuel after the prologue, and I won't say any more than that. ;)**

 **You offend a lot of people by accident? Really? You seem rather... emotionally aware, so that surprises me. Yeah, I don't think that I could deal with Ninten if he didn't interest me so much. xD And thanks! :) Heh, don't be afraid to get things wrong! And for this one, you have a good chance of being right even if you make a random guess. I'll leave you with the implications of that statement as I move onto my next response. ;)**

 **Just a Fan: Hey, no problem! School rules all. D: And I hope that your summer is going well! And... thanks! :)**

* * *

 _Only now do I realize how lonely this world is._

 _We humans require a certain level of personal comfort before we can help others, at least in the long term. I guess it's no surprise that so many people on Vulcan cannot help each other; we don't even have the strength to help ourselves._

 _That is why Vulcan will always be oppressed._

 _That is why I will forever be alone._

* * *

Ninten walked through the generously colored hallways, trying to focus on the prospect of his next class rather than the way that the colors clashed on the walls.

 _Swordplay, huh?_ he thought. _Well, I'll probably snooze through it. Most instructors try to teach drills rather than letting their students have fun… which makes sense, I suppose. Better to kill bad habits early._

"Hey, Ninten," Ana said, walking up next to him. "Heading off to swordplay?"

"Yeah," Ninten replied with a friendly smile. "I'm loving these breaks that we get between classes. Intro to PSI and Philosophy yesterday, and only swordplay today. We have what, 20 hours of classes per week?"

"15," Ana said. "But trust me, you'll have plenty of homework."

 _Oh, right… I forgot about that,_ Ninten thought. _This is why homeschooling doesn't prepare me for the real world!_

"Thanks for ruining my day, Ann," Ninten muttered. "It was going _so well,_ too."

Ana laughed.

"Well, better to figure it out now than later, right?"

Ninten shrugged, indicating that he agreed with her but was too stubborn to admit it. Ana shot him a smile. She knew that mannerism of his. For a minute, the two of them walked down the hall side by side, not saying a word.

"You're probably wondering about Paula," Ana finally said.

Ninten sighed.

"Yeah… I didn't know how to ask. You know how I can make even the most innocent of topics seem offensive, and this topic is hardly innocent."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that when dealing with me," Ana said with a sincere smile that Ninten had grown to expect. "I don't really get offended. Now, as for Paula… she still seems to think that Ness is some sort of monster. I did get her to stop acting _quite_ as scared, but I fear that she's bottling up all of her anxiety. Every psychologist knows that suppressing negative emotions often leads to nasty repercussions down the road."

"Well, I'll trust your expertise on that," Ninten said. "But do you have any idea why she's so scared of Ness?"

Ana hesitated before shaking her head.

"Ann, I know that you're lying," Ninten said. "You can't hide this from me."

"Actually, I can," Ana said with a superior smile. "You can't force me to talk. Besides, I my suspicion is rather… outlandish."

"Tell me," Ninten demanded.

"Why, aren't you bossy today?" Ana asked, seeming amused rather than annoyed.

"Ann, please," Ninten said, feeling exasperated. "I _need_ to know this."

"You'll probably laugh… actually, you'll probably scoff."

"I don't care," Ninten said. "I just want to hear what you think." _Partially because your suspicions are almost always right._

Ana sighed.

"I fear that someone may have altered her memory," she said.

Ninten didn't laugh or scoff. He felt psyching terrified! What would it be like if _hi_ _s_ mind had been altered and he couldn't put any trust in his own memory?

 _Focus,_ Ninten thought. _This is about Paula, not me._

"How could that happen?" Ninten asked, barely managing to keep his voice from shaking.

"Psionics deal with the mind, right?" Ana asked. "Many telepathy powers allow psions to mess with someone's brain. A power that alters memory might not be as far-fetched as it sounds… But like I said, I still think that my little suspicion is a bit outlandish. While it's psionically possible, someone would need a pretty serious motive to alter Paula's memory like that, especially about something as… visible as Ness. Tampering with someone's mind is a serious crime. If someone really wanted to keep Paula quiet, a flip of a knife would ensure that she would never speak again. Why risk leaving the victim alive?"

Ana's casual tone disturbed Ninten.

"You… have dark thoughts, Ann," he said after a pause, not sure what else to say.

"I do," Ana replied with a smile. "And you're one of the only people who I can vent those thoughts to. Coming from an ex-noble family, I am expected to act like a lady, and ladies aren't supposed to worry their little heads about issues like murder."

"You could talk to Ness," Ninten suggested. "He sees you as a human."

"But he would probably get concerned about _why_ my thoughts are so dark," Ana replied. "That's why I refuse to speak my mind to my parents. They see me as a human first and a daughter second, but they would worry about my mental state. I can't really blame them for that. You're the bluntest person that I know, and even you seemed disturbed by my matter-of-fact attitude. It's just that you, unlike them, don't worry about me."

"I do worry about you, Ann," Ninten said. "I just trust you to solve your own problems. You're so capable on your own that I might only mess things up if I tried to interfere."

"Thanks," Ana said, "But I'm not as capable as you think. Regardless… others have a difficult time letting me go on my own. I think that there's a lot of sexism, conscious and unconscious, left over from the time of the empire. I think that even my parents would treat me differently if I were a boy."

"That's one of things that I keep forgetting," Ninten said. "I subconsciously assumed that since _I_ learned that girls are the same as boys in most fundamental aspects, other people did as well. But as shown by my argument yesterday, that's not the case."

"And you were particularly hard to convince," Ana added. "All of these memories are flooding back to me. You were so stubborn as a six year old…"

Ninten smirked.

"Yeah, you had to kick my ass a couple of times to knock some sense into me. I wish that you could do that to those 'traditional nobles' who still think that the empire should be around."

"You mean the ones that call themselves 'the empirists?'" Ana asked.

Those words hit Ninten like a punch in the gut, but he tried not to show it.

"Those, and less extreme ones," he answered. "Some of them feel nostalgic about the past, even if they don't fully want it to return. They're a problem as well. Thank the Divine Rulers that your parents actually make sense, Ann."

"I find it ironic that you're thanking the Divine Rulers, which were the biggest symbol of the empire's power a few centuries ago, for the lack of the empire's influence on my parents," Ana replied with a smirk.

"It's just an expression, Ann. I've heard someone call their brother a son of a bitch. We just blurt out curses when we feel like it, regardless of whether or not it makes sense."

"I guess so…" Ana trailed off. "And it looks like your class is right there. Tell Ness to see me after class… or just tell him the news about Paula yourself."

"Ann, he'll be crushed!" Ninten exclaimed. "I can't possibly _tell_ him that Paula's paranoia is here to stay."

"I thought so," Ana said with an empathetic smile. "That's why you can send him to me instead."

 _…Oh,_ Ninten thought. _That would make sense, huh? But still, the Ann that I knew wouldn't want to deal with breaking hard news to someone like Ness. I was always the one to spill all of our naughty secrets to her parents._

Ninten felt slightly irked that Ana had surpassed him in virtually every aspect, but he really didn't want to break the news to Ness himself.

"All right, I'll do that," he said.

"It's a bitter pill to swallow, huh?" Ana asked. "Having me fill your role as the deliverer of unfortunate news? Ah, that brings back even _more_ memories. Talking about all of my secrets was the only way that you could get to me. I was terrified of people finding out about all of my imperfections."

"Yeah," Ninten said with an unapologetic smile. "It was tough getting under your skin. Even around me, you were so… steadfast and dependable. You acted like a rock for everyone to lean on." _Still do, actually._ "I needed to get you to show your true colors every once in a while."

Ana laughed.

"You feel no shame, do you?" she asked. "But then again, that's what I always admired about you."

"Wait, WHAT?" Ninten asked, drawing the scowls of other students in the hallway. "You admire something about _me?_ I thought that it was always the other way around!"

 _Now that I think about it, I kind of idolized Ana,_ Ninten realized. _During our childhood, she was always the calm one while I acted whiny and childish. What could she admire about me?_

"Yeah," Ana said. "You just… drop things so easily. I feel a lot of guilt by nature, which is part of the reason why I try to help everyone that I can. Sometimes, my guilt isn't warranted, resulting in a situation when I know that I _shouldn't_ feel bad, but I _do_. To see you never held back by shame, never held back by guilt… it's no wonder that admiration started to well up in my heart."

"Wow…" Ninten said. "I never knew. That will actually give me something to think about as I slave away at the drills coming up in Swordplay. It's been nice talking to you, but I should probably go now."

"That was a surprisingly polite declaration of departure, coming from you," Ana replied teasingly. "I expected you to just cut me off and leave… not that I really would have cared. See you, Ninten."

Without really thinking about it, Ninten stepped forward and hugged Ana.

"See you, Ann," he whispered.

Ana looked surprised, but snapped back to neutral in a split second. She then smiled and gingerly embraced Ninten back. It still seemed like Ninten was clinging to her more than the other way around, though.

"We used to do this all of the time when we were kids…" Ana whispered wistfully. "It's been so _lonely_ without you, Ninten."

Ninten smiled.

"I'm here for you, Ann. Always."

"Sounds awfully chivalrous, considering your argument yesterday…" Ana said with a playful smirk, clearly trying to provoke Ninten.

It worked.

"You know that I care about you as a person, not as some sort of psyching 'lady'. Bah, stop laughing! I know that you're just teasing."

"You're just so serious," Ana said, her laughter dying down. "And I think that you hugged me to comfort yourself more than anything else. You're always the one who needed someone to be there for you, remember?"

"I'm just worried about you," Ninten said. "You spend so much of your time and energy helping others that I fear about how little you devote to yourself. Everyone needs support, Ann. I just need it more than you do."

"You're… surprisingly perceptive, Ninten," Ana said, releasing him. "And remember that I'm here for you, too. Thanks for the hug, Ninten. I'm not good at displaying my emotions, but that gesture really touched me. I'm sorry that my hug was awkward." She looked down at a little device on her hand that presumably told the time. "You should _really_ go know; you're about to be late. Goodbye."

Ninten smiled as Ana walked off, wondering what the raging emotions in his heart could possibly mean. Then, he walked in the door to his class.

* * *

Ninten found himself in a dome where the ground _wasn't_ polished enough to make him feel like he was about to slip, unlike the rest of the school. Sword racks were lined up against the curved walls, each one filled to the brim with practice blades. Ninten spotted hundreds of swords, each one slightly different from the one next to it. Shaking his head, Ninten walked up to a crowd of people.

"Why do we even need to take this class?" Ninten asked nobody in particular. "I mean, when are we actually going to need to fight someone? The universe is in a peaceful state."

"Speak for yourself."

Claus walked up to Ninten, his intimidating posture and massive body causing bystanders to clear out. He already held a practice sword in his hand, although Ninten couldn't fathom why. Claus' sword was the largest that Ninten had seen so far, which didn't surprise Ninten at all. Even after only meeting him once, Ninten could tell that Claus preferred power over speed.

"Maybe for people like you, fighting for your life is a distant prospect," Claus said, shoving a finger in Ninten's face. "But some of us who _don't_ have easy lives actually have to _work_ for our survival."

Ninten resisted the urge to snap at Claus. It might make him feel a bit better, but Ninten wanted to avoid making the situation worse.

"Maybe you're right," Ninten said, "But on Ceres, who will we have to fight?"

 _Actually, I can think of some people…_ he realized.

"I don't think that you realize just how dangerous this place is," Claus said with a knowing smile.

Ninten walked over to a nearby sword rack and picked out a small, skinny blade. He held it up and examined it.

"Maybe I don't," Ninten admitted. "You're right. I guess this class _could_ have a use, and I would never know it."

"Fight me," Claus said.

"What?" Ninten asked.

"You talked shit about me back at the orientation. Now let's see if you can back up your words."

"Just because you can kick my ass doesn't mean that my accusations about you aren't true!" Ninten exclaimed.

Claus shook his head.

"Enough talk. Let's fight."

"…" Ninten looked at Claus, wanting to say everything and yet nothing at all.

With a snarl, Claus barreled towards Ninten faster than his breastplate should have allowed him to. Claus held his sword to the right of his body, so Ninten held out his blade to his left to parry the blow. At the last second, Claus swept his sword in a low arc, trying to catch Ninten's feet. Normally, Ninten would have tried to jump back, but the sword rack behind him did not provide him with the room that he needed. Ninten barely managed to thrust his sword low, hearing the metallic _clang_ of blades colliding.

 _I have to get out of this position!_ Ninten thought, feeling panic set of his adrenaline.

He dashed to the side and cursed as Claus' blade came inches from hitting him. With Ceres' reduced gravity, Ninten had to get more traction to jump sideways rather than up, traction that he simply couldn't get on the room's smooth floors. That put Ninten in a tough spot. He had always relied on speed rather than power to dispatch his opponents, and now it seemed like his strategy would be harder to execute on Ceres. After all, jumping straight up wouldn't help him in the slightest. Ninten landed on the ground, stumbling backwards. Due to the reduced gravity, He had instinctually expected to hit the ground earlier, which resulted in an awkward landing.

 _Well, that was quick,_ Ninten thought, his instincts telling him that Claus would easily land a blow on him.

But as Ninten looked up, he saw that Claus was struggling with Ceres' gravity as well. He charged at Ninten, but he seemed… unbalanced in his movement. Regardless, Claus moved slowly enough that he couldn't punish Ninten's bad maneuver.

Ninten now had some space to play with. As Claus swung his massive blade at him, Ninten stepped back, dancing barely out of reach. He then darted in for a quick poke at Claus' legs.

That was when he noticed that he had made another error. He had expected that a heavy blade like Claus' would have enough recoil for Ninten to safely go on the offensive, but that simply wasn't the case with the sword's reduced weight (and therefore momentum) on Ceres. Claus stepped backwards to avoid Ninten's poke and reversed his sword's momentum, aiming at Ninten's side.

This time, the reduced weight of Claus' blade saved Ninten. As Ninten hastily brought his sword up to parry the blow, he had expected Claus to knock the sword out of his hands. However, the sword's reduced weight meant that it didn't provide enough force to disarm Ninten. Both boys took another step back, returning to a neutral combat stance. Ninten continued to back away cautiously, making sure to focus all of his attention on Claus.

"Come here and fight, sissy!" Claus shouted, his face flushing red.

 _Not a chance,_ Ninten thought. _My fighting style is defensive by nature. Why change it now?_

Claus charged again.

 _He's going to mix his attack up,_ Ninten thought. _But how…?_

Claus once again swung his sword at Ninten's side. Ninten parried the blow and quickly realized that Claus wasn't using his full force. In a split second, Claus's sword flashed and nearly slammed into Ninten's _other_ side… but Ninten was ready this time. He took yet another step back, inches away from the blade. Ninten then lashed out at Claus' head. Claus barely managed to duck under the attack and once again reversed the momentum of his blade, aiming at Ninten's legs.

 _Screw that breastplate!_ Ninten thought. _If I could go for his chest, he would have nowhere to dodge except for backwards!_

Ninten knew that he couldn't bring his sword up to parry in time. Claus knew too, judging by the triumphant smile on his face.

Claus' sword inched ever closer to Ninten as time seemed to slow down.

 _This isn't over yet,_ Ninten thought. _Not by far._

But he didn't want to _hurt_ Claus… how should he approach this?

 _I'm almost out of time!_

Ninten sighed inwardly as he lashed out with his foot, kicking Claus in the face.

 _And that is why you don't try to duck under my attack to reverse your psyching swing!_

Claus reeled back from the attack, giving Ninten the split second he needed to readjust his combat stance.

"You fight dirty…" Claus said, although he seemed impressed rather than annoyed. "Not half bad! Not bad at all!"

 _Yeah, and this kid is no slouch either,_ Ninten realized. He had been so focused on the fight that assessing his opponent's skill hadn't even occurred to him. _He wields that bulky sword like it's nothing, and_ _he didn't make many of the amateur mistakes that I expected. He must have received some professional training, yet his style seems rather… rough, somehow. I don't know how to describe it._

The fight continued, both of them deciding to play it safe rather than going for any more risky attacks. After about a minute, Ninten had adjusted his fighting to accommodate Ceres' gravity… and had picked up on Claus' style.

 _Claus fights just like Ann,_ Ninten thought. _He tries to overwhelm his opponent with a barrage of attacks. But Ann is better. She picks up on habits and turns them against her opponents, reading when and where they'll try to parry or counterattack. Her style works well because she uses offensive pressure to force desperate plays and then punishes those mistakes harshly. Claus has the offensive pressure, but he's not nearly as smart about reading his opponent._

And Ninten had taken matches off of Ana before, if only infrequently. Surely he could beat this kid, right? Ninten decided to switch up his strategy. He started going for more feints and switch ups. Ana would have picked up on that habit and smashed through Ninten's defense whenever he exposed himself, but Claus got lost in all of the mind games. He started to struggle, started to get desperate. Eventually, he went on an all-out attack, extending himself dangerously far forward. Ninten calmly parried his attacks and retaliated by lashing out at Claus' legs, tripping him and sending him sprawling on the floor.

"Checkmate," Ninten said, putting the blunt tip of his practice sword up to Claus' throat.

Instead of an angry response, Ninten only received a smile from Claus.

"Not… bad," he said. "It's been a while since someone has beaten me, especially someone my age. I would blame the gravity, but you seemed to have more issues than I did with that. Well played, Ninten."

Ninten removed the sword from Claus' throat, allowing him to stand up. He gave Ninten a respectful nod.

 _Man this kid doesn't seem half as bad now that I knocked a little sense into him…_ Ninten thought.

Ninten smiled back. He turned around to see a large crowd applauding.

"Nice fight!"

"Well played!"

"Encore!"

"Well, at least they liked it," Ninten muttered.

"And you didn't?" Claus asked.

Ninten jolted up in shock. He hadn't expected Claus to hear him.

"I… guess that I did," Ninten said. "It's been a while since I've fought someone my skill level. Most people are either far better or far worse than I am."

"Better?" Claus asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Who's better?"

"My father," Ninten answered. "He could kick both of our asses… at once. Even if we ganged up on him, he would still win."

"But that's ridiculously hard," Claus said. "If we both attacked him at once and didn't allow him to single one of us out, there's no way that he could win."

"You would think that it would work that way, but it doesn't," Ninten said.

Claus shrugged.

"Well, you obviously know more than I do about swordplay and your father, so I guess I'll just trust you."

"What is the meaning of this?" a voice boomed, silencing all chatter. A chubby, conceited-looking man wearing a teacher's robe walked up to Ninten and Claus. "Were you two sparring?"

 _Wait… did the teacher just come in? Class started a couple minutes ago!_

"What would happen if I said yes?" Ninten asked.

The teacher's mouth tightened. He shoved a finger in Ninten's face.

"You… your name wouldn't happen to be 'Ness,' would it?"

 _Ah, crap,_ Ninten thought.

"No, I mean yes, I mean my name isn't Ness," Ninten replied, feeling slightly confused about the double negative. "I'm Ninten."

The teacher snorted.

"You will either call me 'sir,' or 'Mr. Minch.' Got it, _Ness?_ "

 _Minch…_ Ninten thought.

"I will call you what you want if you call me my name," Ninten replied, rising up to meet the teacher's challenge.

He heard gasps from the audience. Apparently, students weren't supposed to challenge teachers like that.

 _Father liked to get me a bit angry before any lesson,_ Ninten thought. _I suppose that this teacher is different._

"Detention!" Mr. Minch shouted. "Detention in this room today! Come in at six, and make sure _not to be late._ "

 _Geez, what a control freak,_ Ninten thought with a shrug.

"As a matter of fact, I'll send a slip to the office so that they remind you to head over!" Mr. Minch shouted.

A chill went down Ninten's spine.

 _They won't come to get me, they'll come to get Ness!_

Ninten gritted his teeth.

"Aha!" Mr. Minch shouted. "I knew that you would try to weasel your way out of this somehow. In my class, I close all loopholes before you get the chance."

"Whoop de _psyching_ do," Ninten muttered bitterly, quietly enough so that only he could hear. "Do you want a medal, you egotistical little piece of shit?"

"What was that?" Mr. Minch demanded, his bulging eyes scanning Ninten's face.

"I'm just surprised that you saw through my plan," Ninten lied, trying not to let his anger control him.

Mr. Minch laughed.

"That's right! In this class, I tolerate _no_ nonsense!"

 _Please, kill me now,_ Ninten thought. He turned to Claus, who offered an apologetic shrug.

"Now," Mr. Minch said. "For the rest of class, we will be practicing basic drills. You all think that you're hotshots, but you all have bad habits that need to be corrected!"

 _Seriously, please kill me now,_ Ninten thought with a sigh. Luckily, his unenthusiastic response was masked by a sea of groans.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Ninten," Ness whispered as the two of them exited the Swordplay room.

Ninten blinked.

"Wait, I got you psyching detention, and you're _apologizing_?" Ninten asked incredulously.

"The teacher is Pokey's father," Ness said. "He hates me, so when he mistook you for me…"

 _Ah,_ Ninten thought.

"But I still got you detention. You should be mad at me… wait! I bet that if I go into your room when they call me, they'll think that I'm you! That way, I'll go through detention like I'm supposed to!"

Ness didn't look as enthusiastic as Ninten had expected.

"Ninten… it's my fault that you got detention," Ness whispered. "Porky's father hates me, which is the only reason why he called you out in the first place. It's my fault… I should suffer the consequences."

"Are you psyching serious?" Ninten asked. "You did nothing wrong! The fault lies entirely on the 300 pounds of fat that make up Pokey's father!"

"It's not nice to make fun of someone because they're overweight," Ness whispered.

 _Divine Rulers!_ Ninten thought. _Dealing with this kid can be exhausting!_

"Okay," Ninten said. "But it's still his fault and not yours at all. Why don't you just let me take the punishment?"

"I just feel so guilty," Ness said. "Because it _is_ my fault, at least somewhat. I shouldn't let you go to detention in my place."

"It really isn't your fault, Ness. Normally I would let you do what you want, but this is ridiculous. You shouldn't suffer the punishment that wasn't even intended for you."

Ness sighed, his shoulders slouching.

"I'm ridiculous, huh?" he asked quietly.

"No!" Ninten exclaimed. "That's not what I meant… oh look, here comes Ann and Jeff. They probably won't make you feel as awful as I did; maybe you should talk to them instead."

 _And once again, I act like an asshole,_ Ninten thought. _No matter how hard I try, it never changes. Maybe Ness would be better off if I ignored him._

Ness did perk up a little when he saw Ana and Jeff chatting as they approached him and Ninten.

"And here we are," Ana said to Jeff. "Now I can tell everyone."

"Tell us what?" Ness asked.

"Paula… is still scared of you, Ness," Ana replied. "I'm sorry."

"…Oh," Ness whispered, tears starting to come to his eyes.

 _How would I feel if Ann started fearing me?_ Ninten wondered. _I would be horrified, but I can't help but think that Ness is taking it harder than I would. I guess that's just his personality._

Ness angrily wiped away his tears, but more came streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry, Ness," Jeff said, looking like he wanted to comfort Ness but didn't know how. "I know that my words probably don't mean much, but I really am sorry."

Ninten nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I have no idea just how much pain you feel… I can't say that I know what's going on inside of your heart."

Ness smiled weakly.

"Thanks," he whispered. "But I'm not crying because of me. It just seems like Paula and I _should_ get along well together. We were inseparable when we were little, and now we have the perfect opportunity to catch back up. Yet we aren't able to because of forces that I don't understand. Nobody wins and everyone loses. It makes me feel like our pain is unnecessary, but there's nothing that I can do to stop it. That's what makes me sad."

Silence followed Ness' words.

 _Geez, that kid really knows how to kill the atmosphere,_ Ninten thought.

"Ness," Jeff spoke up hesitantly. "I noticed that Paula held onto a cross on her necklace when she was afraid. Did you give that to her?"

"No…" Ness said, seeming confused himself. "But she's done that ever since we were children. I don't know why."

Ninten and Ana exchanged glances.

"Ah… have you two ever heard of Catholicism?" Ana asked.

Jeff and Ness shot her confused looks.

"It's a type of religion," she explained.

"So like the Divine Rulers?" Jeff asked.

"No, everyone knows that they were just powerful psions with no divine powers whatsoever," Ana replied. "Catholics believe in a god who isn't a human. This god rules in a place called heaven, which lies above the mortal world."

"Above?" Jeff asked, frowning in confusion. "So like… a ring around each planet? Wouldn't we have seen that if it was really there?"

"The romans made this up," Ninten said, "So naturally, it's a load of bullcrap."

"Ninten!" Ana scolded. "Some people actually believe in Catholicism, like _my parents._ "

"…Really?" Ninten asked. "They seem so… reasonable."

"Exactly!" Ana explained. "Not all Christians are vain ex-nobles like your father thinks. The religion itself sends positive messages; it's the way that people _use_ religion that causes issues."

"Doesn't religion involve human sacrifice?" Ness asked softly.

 _Where did he get that from?_ Ninten wondered.

"No," Ana replied. "At least, not Catholicism. Most religions that do are called 'cults.'"

"…Oh," Ness said. "I must have encountered one of those 'cults,' then."

 _But most cults crusade on Vulcan and Aphrodite,_ Ninten thought. _Well, not Aphrodite anymore, obviously, but they did do a lot of work there. I wonder how Ness met one of them…_

"So back to Paula," Ana said. "All religions are, at their core, expressions of hope. Paula's really clinging to her last strand of hope when she holds that cross of hers. If you haven't figured it out, that cross is a religious symbol."

"Huh," Jeff said. "So is religion mostly for people who need more hope in their lives? You know, like street urchins with no foreseeable future?"

Ana shook her head.

"One reason that Ninten hates Catholicism is that it's rather exclusive," Ana said. "During the empire, the commoners were supposed to worship the emperor as a 'Divine Ruler'. Religion with a non-human god was reserved for the noble classes… and even then, it was often seen as a sign of rebellion. That elitist bias still remains today. Most ex-noble families want Catholicism to stay with them."

"It makes no psyching sense," Ninten muttered. "They claim that you need to be a Catholic to go to heaven, but they won't let most people even _know_ about their religion."

Ana nodded.

"I agree," she said, "But that's a fault of the people, not of the religion."

"I still think that it's bullcrap," Ninten muttered.

"Feel free to," Ana replied. "But you should respect other people's beliefs."

 _I guess that's fair…_ Ninten thought.

"Well, it's good that Paula still has something left to hang onto," Ness whispered. "Maybe she can still be happy…"

"I'm sure that she'll be fine!" Jeff exclaimed. "She just needs time!"

 _But what if she won't be fine?_ Ninten thought. _What if time cannot erase her fear? I know people who have carried paranoia with them for decades._

Ness seemed to have those thoughts as well.

"I hope so," he whispered.

"Well," Ana said. "I will continue to try my hardest to help. But worrying about it right now won't help her. How about we get something to eat? You boys are probably hungry after all of your exercise."

"Yeah," Ness said. "It was really tiring."

Jeff nodded along, while Ninten tried not to show a reaction. The drills that Mr. Minch had them go through were pretty basic, and they had gotten plenty of rest.

 _Not everyone received your regimen as a child,_ Ninten told himself. _If I were in their position, I would probably struggle to stand up right now._

"Food is your answer to everything, Ann," Ninten teased.

"It's hard to complain too much while you're eating," Ana said. "Especially if you always stuff food into your cheeks like a squirrel. Hint, hint, Ninten."

"Well, I can't really deny that, but I picture myself as more of a chipmunk," Ninten said, raising his nose in the air haughtily. "But seriously, food does sound good right now. And I guess if it's free… no reason not to stuff myself silly, right?"

"Maybe you should care about eating _healthy_ foods," Ana said. "Studies show that getting the right nutrients can boost cognitive and social skills, and you need a bit of help in both regards."

"Ouch," Ninten said, grinning stupidly. "Your words burn like a branding iron, Ann."

Ana rolled her eyes.

"Like you would know how a branding iron feels." she turned to Ness and Jeff. "So are you two ready? If you're tired, I can take your order up to the chefs for you."

"And you're not offering to take _my_ order?" Ninten asked. "I thought that we were friends!"

Ness shot Ninten a shy smile. It felt good to see him drop his gloomy atmosphere.

"We're fine, Ana," Jeff said. "But thanks for asking."

"Hey, maybe _I_ want you to take my order!" Ninten exclaimed.

"If you really want me to, I'd be willing to," Ana said with a triumphant smirk. Both of them knew that Ninten wouldn't actually ask her to order for him.

"…Screw you, Ann!" Ninten exclaimed. "Stop outwitting me!"

"All right then," Ana said to Jeff and Ness, ignoring Ninten. "Let's head off. Unless you two want to do anything else… and it's perfectly fine if you do."

Ness and Jeff both shook their heads.

 _I guess I should feel glad that Ann's helping Ness out,_ Ninten thought. _But I feel like she's trying to get him to stop worrying about Paula altogether. And I think that he should worry. If he and Paula were half as close as Ann and I, feeling concern would allow Ness to hang onto his nostalgia… which might give him solace in this foreign world. But then again, Ann's way better at this than I am. I probably shouldn't question her._

 _Then there's the issue of why Paula fears Ness in the first place. Is Ann right? Would someone really mess with Paula's mind? If so, is the perpetrator still alive and at large?_

Ninten followed behind his friends, his mind unable to drop those issues.


	11. Chapter 10: The Power of Capitalism

**Look who finally decided to post something on this site! :D**

 **This chapter is kinda like loose connective tissue (putting that AP Bio info to work :D). It's not exciting and it's kinda filler, but it holds everything else together. So bear with me, all right?**

 **...That being said, I still tried to make it interesting (and when I reviewed it, it wasn't** ** _quite_** **as boring as I remembered it). There are some lengthy explanations of psionic principles, but you don't need to fully understand them just yet.**

 **I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, but I have to do a bunch of summer homework. D: _Definitely_ not my fault for procrastinating it.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **A Fan:** **Like Ana said, memory alteration is surprisingly plausible. Remember, even weak psions can read minds. Messing with minds is only one step aboue that... As for the swordfighting, it's a bit different than just walking around. Remember, Ninten's swordfighting habits are attuned to Earth's gravity, Not Ceres'. He doesn't really think about the full implications of reduced gravity because he needs to act quickly.**

 **To be honest, I don't know if I will do what you're suggesting. xD I haven't planned anything like that out, but it could totally happen.**

 **Nah, I don't think that you're crazy. :) Still, I do think that most teachers would react differently. Some would give the detention without padding their ego along the way, and others would let them off with a warning. As for the characters... I just kind of remember them. xD As for teachers, only three of them really matter (Mr. Agerate, Porky's father, and another one who hasn't made an appearance yet), so it's not that hard to remember them.**

 **Yeah, I was hesitant to put Ninten's reaction in because of that, but he does really feel that way (and there are plenty of other people who do in this world, where religion is a bigger deal). The reason that I included religion at all is that I find it to be key to Paula's identity. Luckily, I didn't get any hate for it, so people either didn't get offended or got offended in silence.**

 **There was a hint about Aphrodite in the prologue, but it was pretty easy to miss. More on Aphrodite later (probably in part 2... this part is getting pretty packed already).**

 **DarkFoxKit: Really? I kinda thought that all Christians got along from a theological standpoint these days, but I guess not. In this universe, the protestant reformation hasn't happened (yet). As you probably know, Catholicism was prevalent in the dark ages, and this universe just got out of the dark ages 80 years ago.**

 **Well, I'm glad that you liked the battle (although I thought that it was kinda boring tbh xD). And I honestly don't know what it feels like to deal with someone who's exhausting, at least in the way that Ninten implies. But I guess I did a decent job if I got you to connect to Ninten. :)**

 **OrangeFlight of** **ShadowClan: 15k words? xD Although, I've read a chapter in a book that was 70k words long... which is longer than New Frontier. O.O At the time, I was like "Oh, I'll read until the end of the chapter," and then about 50 pages in I started to realize that wasn't really a realistic goal. xD**

 **Yep, I have to write about societies with dark secrets. Happy, bubbly secrets have no place in my stories. I don't know why, but it just turns out that way. xD And thanks! I don't really like writing or reading combat scenes (except for a few...), but this one wasn't as bad because it was so cerebral. And I don't know if the way that Ninten and Claus were fighting was actually good, but I refuse to do research for this story because I'm not getting paid.**

 **Yeah, Ness has some self-esteem issues... although he will develop. :) I take back the thing where I said that he develops the most, though... I don't know who develops the most, but it very likely won't be Ness.**

 **Yeah, it is dumb to reserve religion for a certain class. But Catholicism during the middle ages wasn't _that_ much different. Only the priests were allowed to read scripture and interpret religion while the commoners were supposed to follow along like blind sheep. :( That was the reason for the protestant reformation, actually (sorry if I'm stating the obvious...).**

 **Heh, the way that Ana and Ninten bounce off each other surprises even me. xD Glad that you liked it!**

 **Ah, I suppose that makes sense. You're extra careful about feelings to make up for a lack of natural talent with them. And wow... starting to lose a nice nature? That must be troubling. D: The internet really is a place to put up the only part of ourselves that we want the world to see, huh? While everything that I've said on this site is sincere, I'm not normally this cheery in real life.**

 **I'll be looking forward to your guesses... although there aren't really any mysteries this chapter. Next one, though... actually, I can't remember what the next one is (I have the rough draft written). I think it has mysteries. xD**

* * *

 _Today, I learned what a flower is. I saw a picture of one in a book written for children on Earth. That picture fills me with a sense of wonder. Just what does a "flower" do? I've never seen a plant on Vulcan that's any color other than brown; how do the flowers survive in the wild? On Earth, aren't there "animals" that eat these flowers?_

 _Perhaps it is their illogical structure that intrigues me. Something so beautiful yet fragile would never last long on Vulcan. The plants and people here are plain and tough because we have to be. I assumed that was the case everywhere, but now I wonder._

 _If fragile flowers can survive on Earth, can fragile people survive as well?_

* * *

Jeff fell into routine more quickly than he had expected. In the morning, he ate breakfast and maybe went to a class, depending on the day. After that, he usually travelled around town, looking for something to distract himself from schoolwork. He had quickly developed a collection of psionic gadgets that could do anything from grant x-ray vision to create a hologram of Ceres' solar system. He picked apart simpler ones to see how they worked once he got his use out of them. Like a zealous child, Jeff never stayed focused on one toy for long. He always had to explore something _new._

After fiddling with fancy gadgets, Jeff turned to homework, which he didn't mind. He hated doing busywork, but psionics intrigued him to the point that he actually enjoyed reading out of the textbooks, dry as they could be. In fact, Jeff only hated homework for one class: Swordplay. After seeing Ninten and Claus' duel, Jeff resolved to step his fighting game up… but it wasn't as easy as he had expected. He tried to find a good sparring partner, but _everyone_ was better than him with a blade. Ness, Tony, even _Pokey._ At one point, Jeff even considered asking Ana to spar with him, just so that he could fight against someone with as little practice as he.

But while Jeff struggled in swordplay, he continued to excel in his other classes. Engineering and History of Psionics proved easy, and Intro to PSI interested Jeff enough to push him forward. Jeff even formed a bond with Mr. Agerate. The soft-spoken teacher supported Jeff's enthusiasm, seeming to view it as a spark of light in a world of dull stress. The two of them often talked extensively about psionics. At one point, Jeff got bold enough to ask more personal questions.

"Why did you become a teacher?" Jeff asked, sitting across from the teacher after class. Jeff never viewed Mr. Agerate as a teacher, really. He was too human to be a teacher. "You possess so much knowledge… surely you could use your skills for more esteemed profession."

"Ah, but I do not want a more esteemed profession," Mr. Agerate replied, smiling with his eyes rather than his mouth. "I made some mistakes when I was younger, so I do not wish for you to follow suit. I hope that if I can become a rock for students to lean on, none of you will fall into the same traps that I did."

Jeff's eyes shot wide open.

"I didn't know that your motives were so altruistic," he said.

"Ah, but are they really?" Mr. Agerate asked, pouring himself a cup of tea. "I find my aims to be quite… vicarious, actually."

"That's not always a bad thing," Jeff pointed out.

Mr. Agerate laughed softly.

"I suppose… At my age, I can't succeed for myself. I guess that living through my students' successes is all that I can do."

"No!" Jeff denied. "There's so much that you can do. You have… what, 40 years left?"

"Old people generally do not wish to be reminded how old they are," Mr. Agerate said, although he seemed amused rather than annoyed. "And I have 30 years, tops. Regardless, it is not the time left that holds me back. I carry so much emotional baggage from my earlier years that I can hardly stand up, metaphorically speaking. I possess too much inertia to accomplish anything real, other than helping students out. When I form connections like the one that we have together… that baggage seems to disappear. I thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Jeff. I sometimes feel like I can only act like myself when talking one on one with a student."

"You're welcome!" Jeff replied hastily, not sure how to respond to the first part. "And I enjoy talking with you as well. Sometimes, I forget that teachers are humans as well. Talking with you reminds me of that."

"Ah, yes," Mr. Agerate said. "Many teachers want to be seen as a source of authority and complain when students talk to them like regular people. These teachers try to invoke strict rules and then complain about how students don't see them as real people. It is my goal to… distance myself from those who partake in such practices."

 _Huh,_ Jeff said. _So he's saying that it's the teachers' fault that we see don't see them as regular people? I'm not sure that I agree…_

"Mr. Agerate," Jeff said. "You seem quite… wise."

"I guess you could say that," Mr. Agerate replied, taking a sip of tea. "Wisdom often is paid for with scars. But that is not to discount the importance of youthful determination. The younger generations with their new ideas always change the world. I remember when I was a child, the empire loyalists still possessed quite some power. Luckily, my generation did not tolerate them, thus forcing them underground."

 _They did?_ Jeff thought, a chill running down his spine. _What would it be like, to face a powerful group of people who want to reforge the empire and impose class restrictions? They would hate someone like me who's capable but common-born._

"Well… I wanted to ask you if you have some advice about life in general," Jeff said. "I haven't encountered many challenges yet. My life has been pretty easy because of my father's status and income. But I know that challenges will come for me, and I want to be ready for them. I don't want to realize the true nature of the world without some sound advice at my disposal."

Mr. Agerate smiled. Jeff wished that his father would have smiled like that; it relaxed his nerves and lifted away some of his stress.

"That is quite wise in itself, Jeff," Mr. Agerate replied. "True wisdom is realizing how much you don't know. As for advice… I have one suggestion. Make your own decisions, Jeff. Listen to other people and care about their ideas and preferences, but always make sure that you're making your decisions because _you_ want to, not because anyone else is putting pressure on you."

 _Huh… that's quite unorthodox,_ Jeff thought. _Eagleish culture validates obedience and servility over strong willed independence._

"Thanks," he said. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

"The pleasure is mine," Mr. Agerate replied. "Like I said, I wish for you to succeed. Good luck, Jeff."

* * *

Jeff's life continued along those lines. He kept getting outmatched in swordplay, he kept pulling high grades in every other class, and he kept studying psionics on his own. In the first couple of months in Intro to PSI, Mr. Agerate discussed psions and their special powers. Apparently, there were six different disciplines of psionics. So far, they had covered three.

Psychokinetics, or PK for short, was the discipline that involved… well, motion. This made sense, considering the "kinetic" part of the name. He didn't take much interest in these powers, which ranged from lighting an area on fire to emitting a bright flash of light. They just seemed too… straightforward, like something that the ancient Persians would have used (even though Jeff knew that the Romans were the first ones to use organized psionics).

Metacreativity interested Jeff far more. It involved _making_ things. Many of its powers used ectoplasm, small pockets of solid energy in extradimensional space. These pockets of energy were easily accessible, although nobody seemed to know why. While manipulating ectoplasm couldn't kill an opponent, it could entangle victims and severely hinder their abilities.

Most recently, they studied psychometabolism, which involved altering one's self. Mr. Agerate seemed to specialize in this area. It seemed like a shame that he was stuck dealing with a bunch of first years when he could easily teach higher-level psychometabolism majors. Mr. Agerate described the range of effects that psychometabolic powers could have, from healing to transforming one's self into different animals, which was apparently called "polymorphing." Jeff was intrigued by this discipline, but didn't feel any special interest in it. The dimension-manipulating discipline of metacreativity interested him more.

Additionally, while all psions could use powers from all disciplines, most psions were particularly strong in one or two of them. Ana, for instance, had a knack for psychokinetics, while Ninten seemed to excel at metacreativity. In fact, Jeff had once visited Ninten's room to find it completely covered in ectoplasm. Ninten explained with a scowl on his face that he had accidentally taken too much ectoplasm from the extradimensional space, resulting in a ball of goo with nowhere to go but out. It had taken the better part of a day for the custodians to clean out (apparently, custodians cleaned the rooms of psionic initiates like hotel servants). Ninten, true to form, kept articulating excuses for why it wasn't _his_ fault that the accident had occurred, but all of them felt hollow to Jeff.

But while the theory of psionics interested Jeff, he felt truly passionate about the devices that he tinkered with. One day in the last week of October (nearly two months into the school year), Jeff found a gadget that he just _had_ to show off. He followed his first instinct and went over to Tony's room. Unlike the rooms for psionic initiates, Jeff and Tony's rooms were plain and square, with basic furnishings and decorations. Basic appliances such as stoves were shared amongst students in the same hall, leading to some minor scuffles over who got to use this and whose turn it was to use that. But none of that was on Jeff's mind as he entered Tony's room.

"Jeffster," Tony said, a smirk coming to his face. "I know that glint in your eye. You have another one of your devices to show me, don't you?"

 _Am I really so obvious?_ Jeff thought.

"Yes," Jeff said. "Come here, look at these!"

"Well, you seem especially excited about this one…" Tony said, trailing off as he viewed the objects in Jeff's hand. They looked like hand mirrors, but a crystalline purple sheet lay in the place where the mirror should have been. "And they look especially strange. What do they do?"

Tony always took the time to indulge Jeff in his psionic findings, which Jeff greatly appreciated. Tony never complained about how Jeff always went to him to show off his new gadgets, even if new discoveries came in rapid succession. Jeff didn't know who else he would go to if he hadn't befriended Tony.

Ninten? Never. That kid would think that Jeff was trying to pad his own ego.

Ness? Perhaps… but he never seemed interested in psionics to begin with. He would probably listen to Jeff's explanations politely, hating every moment of it.

Ana? Well… she always seemed busy, and while she always claimed that he could come talk to her about anything, Jeff never wanted to interrupt her.

So that was why Jeff always felt grateful to have Tony around. Unlike Ana, Tony didn't make full use of his own time, meaning Jeff didn't have to feel guilty about intruding on it. And unlike Ness and Ninten, he seemed genuinely interested in Jeff's discoveries.

"Here," Jeff said. "Hold one of these."

Tony took one, examining it carefully.

"What are these buttons for?" he asked, running his fingers over the numbered buttons on the side of the "mirror."

"See the number on the handle of the device?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah…" Tony replied. "5673845. What about it?"

"Type in the number on the handle of mine," Jeff said.

Tony complied. Upon hitting "enter," two buttons on the side of Jeff's mirror lit up, both shining neon colors. One button was colored green while the other was colored red.

"The green button means accept, and the red one means reject," Jeff explained.

"Accept and reject what?" Tony asked.

Jeff smiled as he pushed the green button. Suddenly, the screen of his mirror flashed, displaying Tony's face in shades of purple. He felt satisfaction at viewing Tony's awe-inspired face through the mirror.

"I can see the view from your mirror!" Tony shouted, his voice echoing from Jeff's device. "And you can also hear everything that I say. That's awesome!"

Jeff nodded triumphantly, shutting off the device so that he wouldn't have to deal with more echoes.

"It's a portable holocom," Jeff said.

Holocomunnicators, or holocoms for short, were stalls in every town and village that allowed people to communicate with each other from afar. While in the holocom, the other person would appear as a hologram. This device did the same thing in two dimensions.

"Wow," Tony said, "Just… wow. Being able to take a holocom with you? I never thought the day would come. This could change life as we know it. Think about it! Now we can just chat with each other from our rooms, no matter how far away we are from each other. We won't have to go to the center of town and wait to use the holocom anymore… but isn't there a holocom in the school? It seems rather extravagant to have personal holocoms when there's one less than a mile away."

"Yeah, but just think about the ingenuity behind this!" Jeff explained. "Imagine how much trial and error it must have taken to make a holocom portable!"

Tony laughed.

"You always see the ideas before the applications, Jeffster. I still think that this invention could impact the universe in startling ways. We can now be as lazy as we want and still converse with each other. What happens when these things become commonplace? Will we stop meeting each other in person altogether? I'm not sure whether to feel excited or afraid."

"Afraid?" Jeff asked. "Why? This little device could open the door to new frontiers!"

"And some doors should remain closed," Tony replied. "But I know that I will not persuade you. Perhaps you should show these off to your other friends."

"But they don't really like it when I show off the gadgets that I found," Jeff replied.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"This isn't the same as when you tried to show them the device that pointed towards nebulas. These portable holocoms have practical applications. I think that they'll appreciate hearing about this new discovery."

Excitement coursed through Jeff's body. He always loved messing with these gadgets, so he got excited when he could share that joy with others. After all, what was the fun in doing everything by yourself?

"I'll try that," Jeff said. "Thanks, Tony!"

"Ah, you have that glint in your eye again," Tony replied with a smirk. "And thank _you._ It's always nice to see what you've discovered. It saves me from having to do the research myself."

Jeff smiled. Both he and Tony genuinely enjoyed each other's company. Jeff only wished that the rest of the world got along as well together.

* * *

Jeff found Ninten, Ana, and Ness talking together in the hallway. While he wasn't surprised to see Ness and Ana, he had not expected Ninten to join them. Ninten tended to wander alone, exploring Ceres in his free time (or so he claimed).

"Paula talked to me today," Ness said, seeming excited yet somber. "She still seems scared of me, but at least she's willing to talk to me. Still, she makes me feel like I have fangs. It makes me uncomfortable about who I am."

"And yet you have no reason to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed," Ninten said. "After all, you did nothing wrong."

Ness nodded.

"Yeah… I _know_ that I shouldn't feel uncomfortable, but I _do_ … Oh, Jeff!"

Ninten and Ana turned to look at him. Ana favored him with a smile while Ninten looked confused as he regarded the portable holocoms in Jeff's hands.

"What are those?" Ninten asked, pointing to the mirror-like objects.

"Another psionic gadget, it seems," Ana said. "I can detect energy radiating from them."

"Yeah," Ninten said. "A psychoporation aura, meaning that they probably move something or transmit information of some sort."

"Wait, you can detect the discipline of psionics used?" Jeff asked. "I didn't know that psions could do that."

Ninten blinked and then scowled.

"I wasn't supposed to say that," he said. "Forget about it."

 _All right…_ Jeff thought. _What's the big deal?_

"So," Ana said sweetly. "What do they do?"

"They're portable holocoms!" Jeff exclaimed. He showed them how to use the devices, looking eagerly at their reactions. Ness seemed awed, Ninten seemed confused, and Ana seemed only mildly impressed.

"Cool," Ana said. "What's the range on it? Can it travel through dirt or stone?"

"It has a close to indefinite range," Jeff said. "Or at least, that's what I was told. And yes, it can travel through the earth… or the Ceres, I guess."

"How much do they cost?" Ana asked. "If they're cheap enough, they could affect human culture in significant ways."

"About a hundred gold pieces," Jeff said.

Ana's eyes flashed with surprise.

"That's cheap… I mean, it's expensive, but cheap enough for the middle class to reasonably buy. That's where real change happens."

"Technology has increased so much in the past 80 years," Ness said. "I wonder why…"

"The answer is quite simple, actually," Ninten replied. "When the empire ruled, everyone catered to the nobles, who had enough money that they didn't need new technology. Instead of using these portable holocoms, they would have a personal holocom in their mansions. But now that corporations try to appeal to the common people, they have to create some pretty sweet products to stay in business. Well, either that or exploit workers on Vulcan. Probably both."

"That… doesn't seem simple to me," Ness said.

"As far as applied economics go, that's as simple as it gets," Ninten said.

 _What does Ninten know about applied economics?_ Jeff thought. _I wouldn't expect him to learn that stuff in a small, American town. Still, his analysis seems correct, at least to my eye…_

"So," Jeff said. "I was thinking that we could all get one of these so that we could talk to each other whenever we want!"

"Sure," Ana said. "They're expensive, but this school gives us psionic initiates a rather large stipend. I have more money than I know what to do with."

"I'm on board as well," Ninten said. "But I can't promise that I'll accept every call. I sometimes don't feel like talking to people."

 _Well, at least he's honest,_ Jeff thought.

"I… I don't know if I can," Ness whispered.

"Why not?" Jeff asked. "Didn't Ana just say that you get a lot of money from the school?"

Ness turned away, looking embarrassed. Ana put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ness," she said, her empathetic voice seeming to put Ness at ease. "You can tell us. We'll support you no matter what happens."

Ness sighed, turning back to face Jeff.

"I actually… send most of my money home," he admitted.

"Oh!" Jeff exclaimed. "I'm sorry for pushing you to buy something that you can't afford. I didn't know, I swear!"

"Wait…" Ness said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "You don't care that my family is poor?"

"Give us some credit here," Ninten replied with an easygoing smile. "We're not _complete_ morons. And my family is pretty poor as well, so you're in good company."

"Really?" Ness asked.

"Yeah, really; I'm not a complete moron," Ninten repeated. "Shocking, huh?"

Ness blushed.

"I was talking about you coming from a poor family."

"I know," Ninten said with a smirk. "But yeah, my family doesn't have a lot of money. Rural America lacks wealth in general."

"You seem rather educated for coming from a poor background," Jeff pointed out.

"Like I said earlier, my father taught me pretty much everything that I know, from math to sword fighting," Ninten explained.

"Sometimes, I wish that I had a father like yours," Ness said. "My father never taught me much of anything… not that it was really his fault."

"You probably do _not_ want to learn my father," Ninten said. "He does a wonderful job of crushing any self-confidence that you might have, and his demands are brutal."

"I always wondered how you could stand him," Ana said. "I probably would have given up within a year."

"Not if he shames you into getting back up onto your feet," Ninten said. "Not if he thinks so lowly of you that you want to succeed just to prove him wrong."

 _Geez,_ Jeff thought. _My father was always distant, but better that than cruel. Ninten's father sounds like a handful._

"But hey," Ninten said. "I'm not here to complain about my childhood. Ness, I can buy you one of those thingies if you need the money."

Ness' eyes shot wide open with horror.

"No!" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't want you to… after all, your family probably needs that money."

"I don't send any to them," Ninten said.

"Wait, what?" Jeff asked. "Didn't you just say that they were poor?"

"Yeah," Ninten said with a grimace, "But my mother would just squander any money that I send her. Besides, it costs a stupid amount of money to send something back to Earth, as Ness probably knows."

Ness nodded sadly. He knew, all right.

"But…" Jeff said. "It's still nice to send something to your family if they're struggling."

"Well, my mother never really helped me out when I was struggling," Ninten said, "So I see no reason to help her. She's the kind of person who cannot see kindness in others. She thinks that the world is out to get her, and if I send her money, it _must_ be because she deserves it and not because I just want to be nice. I do feel bad about leaving nothing for my sister Mimmie, but it was her idea not to send anything back in the first place."

 _Huh, didn't Ninten say earlier that he had another sister?_ Jeff wondered. _What about her?_

"I… don't know how to react to that," Ness said. "I don't know what it would feel like just to make a decision like that and not feel guilty."

"I don't feel guilt, as a general rule," Ninten said. "It leads to me being an asshole sometimes, but it can help me make the right decision. So what do you say about letting me get you one of those portable holocoms?"

"I still don't want you to pay for me," Ness whispered. "I don't want to be a liability."

"Jeff," Ana said. "Are you willing to give Ness one of those holocoms? I assume that you don't need two."

"Actually…" Jeff said. "I promised that I would give this one to Tony. I'm sorry."

"Well how about I pay?" Ana asked. "I'm so spoiled that my parents will basically give me anything that I ask for, and they're filthy rich."

Ness looked hesitant. Eagleish culture dictated that boys were supposed to buy stuff for girls, not the other way around.

"I… don't want a girl to pay for me," Ness said. "I'm sorry, Ana."

"So because she lacks a Y-chromosome, it's not okay for her to buy you something?" Ninten asked.

Ness blushed, looking guilty about his words.

"Ninten," Ana said. "Please let me handle this. We don't want this to end up like that time when you blew up at Tony, hmm?" She turned to Ness. "Please forgive Ninten. Gender equality means a lot to him because he knows some truly nasty people who support strict gender roles. If you really don't want me to pay for you, that's fine, but _please_ know that it would mean a lot to all of us if we could keep in touch with you."

"Really?" Ness asked. "You care about talking to me?"

"Of course," Ana said, her radiant smile making the hallway seem a little brighter. "We're all friends, right?"

"I… guess so," Ness said, seeming a little more confident. "In that case, I'd be happy to accept your offer."

Jeff couldn't help but smile.

"Man," he said. "You really know how to handle any situation, Ana. Is there any part of you that isn't perfect?"

"Oh, plenty," Ana said, looking down the hallway longingly. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "More than you can possibly know…"

"Ann," Ninten said. "Are you all right?"

In an instant, Ana reverted to her polite, smiley state.

"Ah, yes," she said, her voice returning to its vivacious tone. "I'm sorry about that. Let's go pick up those portable holocoms, unless anyone has something else to do or say?"

Nobody responded.

"Where did you buy the holocoms, Jeff?" Ana asked.

"There was a merchant selling them in Central Square," Jeff replied. "If you look around, you should find him without too much trouble."

"All right!" she said, seeming genuinely pleased. "Let's go, then. Thank you for showing those ones to us, Jeff!"

"You're welcome," Jeff said, smiling as Ana, Ness, and Ninten walked off.

But one thing irked him. Why had Ana acted so different when he had asked her about perfection?

Why had she acted so sad?


	12. Chapter 11: Psychless

**Hey, everyone! :) (Yes, I do insist on starting all of my ANs with something along those lines)**

 **First, I have a (marginally important) announcement. I started co-writing a story with DarkFoxKit called "Time Distorter." Some of you have probably seen it already. I'm not going to pull some BM and say "It would really mean a lot to me if you read it," because I don't want to pressure you guys into anything (not that most of you would feel pressured). But it** ** _is_** **there, if you want to check it out (and even if you don't!).**

 **Now, onto the actual story. This is the longest chapter yet, probably because it contains two complete scenes. They... kind of work together. xD Also, there's no Ana in this one. Shocking, I know (I know that I overuse that character ;P).**

 **Also, clarification: Phones don't exist in this universe, so a portable holocom is a big deal (basically equivalent to when the cell phone came out).**

 **Fun fact: There's a scene where Ness studies from a book, and I originally wrote exactly what the textbooks said. Reading through it, I decided that I did too good of a job making it sound like a textbook (meaning that it's boring as... well, boring as something that's really boring), so I cut most of them out. You're welcome! :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **A Fan:** **Hey, it's totally fine! :) One day doesn't matter at all; I'm just glad that I got the review!**

 **Yeah, I like worldbuilding as well... but I try to mix it in with other stuff. My favorite author said that a common mistake that most fantasy writers make is adding in too much worldbuilding. While some people like it, others don't care at all. That's why I tried to channel some of the technology talk through my characters.**

 **Yep; I have plenty in store for Mr. Agerate. And I wanted to add in more characterization for Jeff before, but some stuff just doesn't end up happening. D: As for the vocab, I kinda stole it from something else because I was too lazy to make my own. But yeah, less fancy vocab from here on out.**

 **Well, Ninten's a pretty opinionated person (which is fun for me to write because I'm not). Ninten's family is something that lingers in the back of my mind; I want to add them in eventually. And remember that Ana's still a teenager under her self-confident exterior. I can confirm first hand that we tend to exaggerate things. :) Still, I'm not ruling out the possibility of her having a "plot-twisty secret." Who knows? Could happen. ;)**

 **And your reviews are still longer than most other people's (including my reviews on other stories). Don't worry about it! :)**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Obviously you weren't _that_ lazy if you wrote a review that long! xD **

**I guess it wasn't that long. It felt like longer than it was... and this one felt like shorter than three days. Yeah, I wish that we had more teacher-student friendships in this world. Most of the good teachers really like working with students (although I've known some who don't and it makes me wonder why they teach in the first place), so there's a lot of potential there.**

 **I hate talking on the phone as well! I'm always scared that I dialed the wrong number, even though I know that it's not a big deal. xD My mom offered me her old smartphone, and I only accepted because I want something with GPS. Literally the only reason (although in hindsight, it's really nice to be able to listen to music when I run). And yeah, there really weren't mysteries in the last chapter. There's a big one in this chapter, though (at least the first half of it).**

 **Well, at that point I was already 4 million words into the series, so 70k didn't seem like much. xD And most of what I based my combat scenes off of comes from other books that I've read, so that's probably why it didn't sound too weird (I do try to avoid the connotation of a fanfiction writer who puts in really illogical combat scenes).**

 **Yep, Ness will develop. Still haven't figured out how, though.** **xD And as for Christianity, I agree with Ana that the stupid/weird parts of it are the fault of people rather than religion itself. An example is when Christianity was used as a justification for slavery. That totally goes against most the messages that Christianity sends, but people were like "our religion says that it's important to be obedient so slaves should be perfectly obedient". Doesn't make a whole lot of sense. D:**

 **Mystery Dungeon, huh? I played a couple a long time ago... I remember them having good storylines but frustrating gameplay.**

 **I'm kind of like this when I'm talking with someone one on one (although I'm a lot less clever since I don't have as long as I want to craft a response). But when I'm in a big gathering... I always gravitate towards the corner of the room and don't say much. People are busy listening to each other, so why do I need to butt in? ...That's my thinking, at least.**

* * *

 _I am trying to find beauty in this life. I am trying to find beauty on Vulcan._

 _I don't know if it's possible to find either._

 _I, like Vulcan, am cracked and broken. Only pain thrives, both on the surface and inside of our hearts. I look at the toxic fumes of smoke bellowing out of factories and see arrows flying from my bow, impaling the innocent._

 _I am Diana. I am the huntress._

 _Vulcan is the smith. He is industrialism._

 _We only destroy, leaving anguish in our wake. It is our fate._

* * *

Ness found himself standing on grey clouds, an oppressive darkness extending in every direction. His shoulders hunched upon reflex, as if his heart recognized the heaviness to the air that his body did not. Ness scanned the world around him, finding nothing but flat, grey clouds sitting lifeless in the air. He took a tentative step forward and pressed his foot against the firm, condensed water particles. The clouds somehow held his weight.

Another strange world. At least this one didn't torture him like the last one… two images flashed in Ness' mind simultaneously. He saw the frozen lake out of his left eye and the magma-filled chamber out of his right. He felt the heat and the cold. Ness gasped, almost able to _experience_ the agony once more. He shut his mind off, not wanting to relive the experiences.

In the distance, one of the clouds glowed orange, just like it would during a sunrise. Ness looked at the vibrantly colored cloud in suspicion.

 _Well, I don't really have anywhere else to go,_ Ness thought. _That cloud is my only lead… even if it might lead to a trap or nothing at all._

Ness walked forward. By the time that he arrived at the orange cloud, he got the feeling that he had walked for hours, but his legs weren't tired at all. He tried to remember the walk itself and came up with a blank. He couldn't recall what he had thought, what he had felt, or even how long the walk had taken. Ness sighed. He hated feeling like he had no control over the world around him.

He glanced at the cloud in front of him and registered a bubbling spa that radiated orange light, lighting up the vast world like a single firefly in the dark. What surprised Ness even more than the spring was the fact that he was not alone. A person sat in the spring, not moving at all. All of his (or her?) features were blurry. Ness looked at the person's limbs and couldn't tell if they were thick or thin, long or short. It was as if the person's features were so slippery that even Ness' mind couldn't wrap itself around them. But all of that seemed normal compared to the person's face.

Or, as Ness registered in horror, the person's _lack_ of a face.

Oh, the person still had a head. But his face (Ness assumed that this person was a "he" just to keep things simple) just… wasn't there. The spot on his head that should have contained his face was completely blank.

The mystery man twitched, and then stood up. The process seemed to pain him, as he let out a moan upon straightening his body. He took a step towards Ness, his legs sloshing in the spring.

Ness' heart thumped with fear. What was this… _thing?_ He took a step back, holding his hands up in protest.

 _"Ah, yes,"_ a voice spoke into Ness' mind. _"You are scared of me because of how I appear. I would say that appearances can be deceiving, but not here. Not in Magicant, where we exist only as a collection of thoughts. Here, our appearances reveal who we are."_

The voice seemed heavy, as if he were trying to coax a boulder to roll up a hill.

"Who… who are you?" Ness asked.

The faceless man took another step towards Ness. This time, Ness didn't step back. He still felt afraid, but he could sense buried sorrow in this man that made him feel guilty about his fear. Maybe this mystery man just wanted some company. Ness stepped forward himself, walking into the spring. It felt refreshingly cool.

 _"You aren't afraid of me, are you?"_ he asked.

Ness looked at the faceless man close up and still gathered no information. When his mind tried to analyze the man, it glossed over all of the meaningful details. Ness couldn't have said how tall he was or even what color his clothes were. It felt like being able to study someone only out of the corner of one's eye.

"I'm not scared," Ness said. "I don't think that you want to hurt me."

 _"But even so, it is natural to feel afraid,"_ The voice whispered, the word "afraid" echoing in Ness' mind. _"You don't know me. You shouldn't trust me."_

"And yet I do," Ness said.

The faceless man seemed moved by Ness' words, although Ness couldn't tell how he knew that.

 _"You remind me of myself as a child. So pained and yet so vibrant…"_ the man tilted his head, looking at the darkness that surrounded them. _"I apologize for these poor circumstances of our meeting. Actually, I apologize for bringing you here at all."_

"You brought me here?" Ness asked, a chill running down his spine. "This isn't a dream?"

 _"You are in the world of dreams,"_ the man responded ambiguously. _"Welcome to Magicant. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to see another soul…"_ the man seemed to stare off into the distance. _"…No, I am not happy at all. That scares me. At least I feel relieved."_

"Magicant?" Ness asked, looking at the darkness around them. He would have thought that a place called "Magicant" would appear colorful. "What _is_ this place?"

 _"Ness, do you know what the psionic realm is?"_

"Uh… no."

 _"That complicates things. Hmm… how do I explain this place simply? This place… is my mind."_

"Wait, what?" Ness asked. He _must_ have heard the man wrong. "What did you say?"

 _"All of my hopes, dreams, desires, woes, and struggles rest here. This world is my mind, Ness."_

"But a mind can't be a world," Ness maintained.

 _"Not in the physical realm, it isn't, but things are different here in the psionic realm. Minds appear as worlds; thoughts appear as objects."_

"So if this is your mind," Ness said, taking in a panoramic view of the darkness. "Why is it so empty?"

The faceless man sighed.

 _"You catch on quickly, Ness. I envy that about you. Perhaps if I caught on more quickly, I would still have a face."_

 _What does that mean?_ Ness wondered, but he didn't ask out of fear of being seen as intrusive.

 _"This plateau of land is only a portion of Magicant,"_ the faceless man said. _"Trust me, I have plenty of other memories and thoughts that manifest themselves as objects. You have already encountered two of my darker memories."_

"What… do you mean?" Ness asked.

 _"Really? You can't figure it out?"_

Ness racked his brains. Nothing.

 _"Your little encounters with ice and fire. They come from my memory."_

A chill ran down Ness' spine. He pictured himself standing on the frozen lake. The next second, he pictured himself standing in the magma chamber. He closed his eyes, trying to forget the pain.

"You… lived through that?" he asked weakly.

 _"Yes. I apologize for sending you to those places. I wasn't trying to, but I lost control of myself. Desperation causes us to make even the simplest mistakes."_

The faceless man looked tense, although once again Ness couldn't tell how he knew.

"It's okay," Ness whispered. "If you suffered through what I did at those locations…"

 _"You value my pain?"_ The faceless man seemed surprised.

"Of course!" Ness exclaimed. "Why wouldn't I?"

 _"I had forgotten that you humans have the capacity to care for each other…"_

"W-What do you mean by that?" Ness asked. "Are you not a human yourself?"

The faceless man seemed to ponder that question.

 _"I don't know. Am I?"_

 _How should I know?_ Ness wanted to shout. _Honestly, how does someone not know which species they belong to?_

 _"I think that I was a human,"_ the faceless man said. _"I don't know what I am anymore."_

An awkward silence ensued. An image appeared on the surface of the water, seeming unaffected by the spring's ripples. Ness peered at it curiously. It depicted a sunlit forest, but the trees looked far different from any that Ness had ever seen. Instead of the standard trees on Earth or the towering behemoths of trees on Ceres, these plants had two neatly-aligned rings of branches. Each ring had eight neatly-aligned branches that jutted out diagonally up, making the tree look like lotus flower.

 _Those trees…_ Ness thought. _Where do they come from?_

 _"Ah,"_ the faceless man said, looking at the scene that danced on the surface of the water. _"In an attempt to remember what I am, I conjured that memory. I had forgotten about that forest…"_

"Okay…" Ness said. "So you mean to say that you don't even know who you are?"

 _"I do not think that I possess the right to call myself an individual,"_ the man responded. _"An individual would possess a face. Every face looks different as a result of genetics and experiences. A face defines us, makes us who we are. And I don't have one."_

Ness harkened back to his first day in Intro to PSI. He had felt that nothing defined him as an individual, but Mr. Agerate managed to coax an answer out of him.

"I'm sure that you have other aspects that make you unique!" Ness exclaimed, burying his unease and trying to act supportive. "Like your memory of those trees!"

 _"I am surprised that you care,"_ the faceless man said. _"What does it matter to you?"_

"I… just want you to recover," Ness said. "I want you to be happy. We humans try to help each other."

 _"Ah, but I may not be a human."_

"Even if you aren't, I still want to help!"

 _"Hmm…"_ the faceless man mused. _"Something about your altruism seems familiar. I don't know why. It makes me nervous."_

"Why would it make you nervous?" Ness asked.

 _"I think that altruism can cause quite a bit of pain and guilt in the long run."_

"Maybe it can," Ness said, "But I still wouldn't live any other way."

 _"Interesting…"_

"Perhaps I can help you if you tell me a bit more about yourself," Ness said.

 _"But do I want to be helped? Something inside of me screams that I shouldn't rely on others to do my work."_

"You're not relying on me," Ness said. "I'm just assisting you. Even if I disappear in an instant, you'll still be the same. So you don't have to worry about me letting you down. It's a win-neutral situation."

 _"All right. A bit about myself…"_

"Let's start with your name," Ness said. "You already know mine."

 _"Name… I don't know my name."_

Ness sighed, feeling more frustrated than exhausted at this point.

"You're not giving me much to work with."

 _"Exactly. Perhaps you should ignore me. I can send you back into a normal sleep, if you wish. Remember, I brought you here in the first place."_

"Why _did_ you bring me here?" Ness asked, ignoring the faceless man's offer.

 _"I was lonely."_

Ness turned from curious to melancholy in a second. He looked around at the darkness for what felt like the hundredth time.

"You were lonely, huh?" he whispered. "I can see why. Don't worry; I'm here for you now."

 _I'm sure that I messed that up,_ Ness thought. _I've never had to comfort someone else before… oh Paula, how I wish that you were with me right now. You would do so much better than I…_ Ness trailed off, remembering Paula's current state. He sighed, feeling rather lonely himself.

 _"Warm… your words make me feel warm. I wonder why…"_

 _Wait, did I actually do something right?_ Ness thought. The spring's water heated up, rising to the temperature of a lukewarm bath.

"Only other human beings can cure loneliness," Ness said. "Well, humans or pets, I suppose."

 _"You don't know me. I brought you only pain by taking you to this place. And yet you still want to help me… why? Why me?"_

"Why not you?" Ness asked.

 _"I don't even know who I am… or what I am. I do not think that I can be saved. I only brought you here out of desperation. Something about you reminded me of myself. I thought that maybe I could seize my identity back if I looked at you. But now that I gaze upon your face, I see how different we are in the small ways."_

"Of course we're different," Ness said. "Everyone is. Our differences aid us as much as our similarities. Our individuality separates us from some of the less intelligent animals."

 _"But I have lost what makes me an individual,"_ the faceless man said with a sigh. _"Am I so different from a jellyfish? Floating along with the power to do nothing but sting those who come near me?"_

Something about the faceless man's voice seemed forlorn.

"Well, what's lost can be found," Ness maintained. "We just have to give it our best shot."

 _"We?"_

"Of course!" Ness exclaimed. "I'm in this with you."

 _"…Something still seems fundamentally wrong about humans helping each other. But I suppose that I will accept. You aid shall benefit me, after all."_

"It is human nature to want others to prosper," Ness said. "Only when we see others as something less than human can we harm others without remorse. If we look each other straight in the eye, conflicts tend to dissolve."

 _Man,_ Ness thought. _This is a new experience, comforting someone else… it makes me feel like I can really make a difference. I had forgotten how good that feels._

 _"Interesting…"_ the faceless man said. _"I will look into this extensively. I have nothing better to do."_ He looked out to the dark shroud that surrounded the orange cloud. _"The darkness doesn't bother me anymore. It conceals and engulfs, which is not always a bad thing. Some secrets should remain hidden. But this time, I seek enlightenment."_

"All right," Ness said. "Where do we start?"

 _"You start by returning to your own world. I believe that it is time for you to wake up."_

"What? I've only been here for a few minutes!"

 _"Not all of your night was spent here. And it took you a while to reach this orange cloud."_

Ness had forgotten about that.

 _"Additionally, time passes differently on Magicant. I can sense your body screaming at you to wake up. Goodbye, Ness."_

Ness opened his mouth to protest, but the next second his eyes opened, revealing the real world once more.

 _Another strange dream…_ Ness thought. _Just what do they mean?_

* * *

After Ness had prepared for the day and eaten breakfast, he decided to visit the library. He had an upcoming test in Intro to PSI that he wanted to study for, and he wanted to avoid thinking about his odd dream. Ness strode into the library, textbook in hand, scouring the room for a location where he wouldn't have to interact with other humans.

Ness found an empty table and sat down. The table's sleek, metallic texture caused Ness' textbook to slide across the surface, almost falling off. Ness blushed. The last thing that he wanted was an incident that would draw attention to him. He looked at the cover of his book and sighed. He had been dreading this moment for weeks. In Intro to PSI, he had taken quizzes, but this was the first test. If he failed… well, if he failed the class, then the government would cut his stipend. That would leave his family with nothing.

In that moment, Ness swore that he almost _heard_ iron bars slam around him. He imagined himself sitting in a cell, working towards the one thing that could ensure his freedom.

 _Trapped!_ Ness thought.

He tried to shove back the panic. Ness didn't have a fight or flight response. Instead… he froze. It was silly, even stupid. Obviously, his problems wouldn't go away if he just _did nothing._ But here he found himself, feeling his limbs stiffen. Even opening the book was a monumental challenge. Ness was glad that nobody else sat at his table; otherwise they doubtless would have wondered why he was just sitting there, staring icily at his book.

Ness sighed. He stroked his fingers over the cover of the book, secretly hoping that it would just… disappear. Gritting his teeth, he opened the front cover and turned to the first section, which detailed basic psionic maneuvers. The first page read:

* * *

 **Appellation:**

Some students mistakenly call psionics by its archaic name: "PSI." Students also mistakenly claim that psions "use" psionic "abilities," when in reality they _manifest_ psionic _powers._ The rest of this book shall refer to these terms in these ways, as is standard for psions and other psionics-users throughout the universe.

* * *

Ness shook his head, resisting the temptation to laugh. Psionics or PSI, ability or power, what did it matter? He had remembered asking Ninten exactly that question, and he received an answer along the lines of "A bunch of pompous nobles wanted their terms to sound fancy." Seeing the tone that this book took, Ness could believe it. He looked ahead and saw that the discussion about terminology spanned multiple pages, dealing with the history of how each term was used by each social class. He turned the page and started reading about the next topic.

The book talked about the concept called the "Psionic Aura" for pages. Ness yawned, not sure whether to feel bored due to the lifeless prose or frustrated that he couldn't understand some of the fancier words. In Onett, most children didn't learn how to read. Ness had been an exception; his mother had received a limited education and he was determined to bend the Eaglelish language to his will. Still, some of the words in the textbook escaped him. He wrote down a few key facts that he deemed noteworthy:

* * *

 **Psionic Aura:**

-Protects PSI-users; acts as a second life force that allows us to survive normally fatal attacks

-Protects from mind control and other mind-affecting powers, although the attacking psion can break through it if powerful enough

-Recharges during a rest or while eating

-Does not activate if someone catches the PSI-user off guard (Ness underlined these words to signify particular importance)

-Is intuitive, most psions use it on instinct

* * *

 _There has got to be a better way to remember this stuff,_ Ness thought grimly. He remembered how Mr. Agerate made learning this stuff somewhat _fun._ Perhaps it was all of his stories that related to psionic concepts. Ness remembered Mr. Agerate's depiction of how the romans discovered the psionic aura and originally thought that it was forbidden magic, only to retract those statements when mystics were able to predict the future (which was quite a useful power). After that, most romans assumed that psions received their powers from the gods, which was the exact opposite of what they originally claimed. Looking back on it, the story itself wasn't that interesting, but Mr. Agerate's delivery made Ness remember it to this day.

Ness sighed and flipped a few pages ahead.

* * *

 **Psionic Stall**

The psionic stall…

* * *

Ness snapped the book shut. He already knew about the psionic stall. Who didn't? When he was little, he and Paula had created fantasy worlds where they pretended that they were powerful psions that had mastered this technique. The irony of that stung him now.

The psionic stall was a maneuver that allowed a psionics-user to delay damage for a few seconds. A common application of this technique was to take damage and then heal it back up before the effects crippled or killed the psionics user.

However, all powers require verbal incantations and hand motions, so a person who could keep a psion's mouth or hands from moving could render the psionic stall useless. Ness already knew all of that. He didn't need to read the five page textbook version.

 _What do I study now?_

Ness sighed, and not for the first time. Since he understood the two basic psionic maneuvers (psionic aura and psionic stall), he would have to move on to learning about psychokinetics. Ness hated reading about that discipline. Not only did it lack any sort of finesse (as it consisted of mostly chucking energy at people), it had a history of being used to slaughter innocent people.

As Ness opened his book to the chapter about psychokinetics, he heard a voice from behind him:

"Oh, look who it is."

Ness felt a chill run down his spine. The venom in those words… the jealousy in that voice… Ness didn't even have to turn around to know who was speaking to him.

"Hello, Pokey."

" _Look_ at me when you're talking, psych it!" Pokey shouted. "Or am I really so low that it degrades you to gaze upon my body?"

Ness stood up and turned around, looking Pokey in the eye. He seemed… insecure? Was that it? Whatever it was, Pokey tried to hide it furiously. He took a step towards Ness, trying to leverage his larger size to appear more intimidating.

"Why are you here?" Ness asked.

"Oh, I forgot," Pokey said. "You fancy _psions_ don't want to accept _others._ When I come into this library, I am a baseless intruder."

Ness' mouth tightened at the hypocrisy.

 _Keep calm,_ Ness told himself. _If you try to fight Pokey, you will lose._

"And because you're a psion, you have _friends_ now," Pokey spat. "And you didn't have to do a psyching thing!"

"Why begrudge me of my good fortune?" Ness whispered.

Pokey's look turned dangerous.

"You've always had _everything,_ Ness! Looks, skills, friends, the list goes on and on. And even though you have so much, you refuse to share with me! I'm left with _nothing!"_

"If you wanted something, you could have asked," Ness said coolly. "And generally, you don't get to feel mad at someone for not sharing when you try to physically beat them."

"Oh, so my feelings aren't as _good_ as yours, are they?" Pokey demanded.

Ness wondered how long it would be until a librarian came over. He looked over to the librarian's desk and found it empty.

 _Did Pokey plan this out so that he could attack me with nobody around?_ Ness wondered. _We're in a pretty secluded place… if he lunged at me, I don't think that anyone would see._

"I didn't mean that," Ness said. "All right, let's go back to the friends discussion. I saw that you had four people who were willing to help you physically assault me. Wouldn't those qualify as friends?"

"They would, if they hadn't left me," Pokey muttered. "At first, they were curious about my noble lineage, but they eventually forgot what was important and ditched me."

 _So they realized that Pokey's an emotional wreck and tried to distance themselves from him,_ Ness translated in his head.

"I don't know," Ness said, "But aren't you supposed to act, well… _friendly_ to your friends?"

Pokey snarled.

"We are different. Do you know how powerful my family was during the time of the empire?"

"Yes, but I don't see why that matters," Ness said.

"Of course you don't, _commoner,_ " Pokey spat.

"Listen," Ness said. "Believe it or not, I don't enjoy talking with you. I already know that you hate my guts. If you don't have anything other than insults to throw at me, would you mind leaving? I'm trying to be productive, here."

"Oh," Pokey said, "I get it. Your stupid book is more important than I am."

"Yep," Ness said. "We have a test coming up, remember? Trust me, I would rather be spending my time with my friends, but the test requires my full attention at the moment."

Pokey stepped up to Ness' book and tore a few pages out, smiling evilly.

"What the psych are you doing?" Ness demanded, feeling rage flow through his veins.. He grabbed onto Pokey's shirt and tore it, leaving a deep gash that ran down the front.

"You!" Pokey spat, his face crimson with rage. "Do you know how much this shirt costs?"

He dove for Ness' book, ripping out more pages.

"Stop!" Ness shouted.

"Make me!" Pokey replied gleefully.

"Get off my book, _psychless,_ " Ness hissed.

The word "psychless" hit Pokey like a spell. He stopped ripping out pages, his shoulders tensing up. He turned around to face Ness with an intention in his eyes that Ness had never seen there before:

Murder.

Ness let out a yelp as he took a step back. Pokey lunged at him, tackling him to the floor.

"You little piece of _shit,_ " Pokey muttered, his face showing more rage than Ness thought was possible. "I'm going to psyching kill you!"

 _No,_ Ness thought weakly. _I… have to escape._

Ness moved his hands to manifest a psionic power, but Pokey took the first step by slamming a hand over his mouth, reducing all noises to a muffle.

 _Right when I study how to neutralize a psion, Pokey employs one of the techniques against me,_ Ness thought. _Now I can't use my PSI!_

Ness once again felt bars slamming around him. No hope for escape… no hope for survival. Pokey's hand covered his nose as well as his mouth, meaning that Ness couldn't inhale. Ness flailed hopelessly, trying to do something, _anything._

"That word…" Pokey hissed. "Take it back!"

"No," Ness managed to say through Pokey's clasping hand, fear replaced with rage.

Pokey looked both surprised and infuriated. With a scream, he drove a fist into Ness' gut.

"How do you like that, high-and-might-psion?" Pokey asked mockingly. "How does it feel to be treated like a regular person, just like the _rest of us?_ "

Right after he said that, Ness felt Pokey's weight being lifted off of him. He took deep breaths of fresh air, trying to soothe his burning lungs. Looking up, Ness saw Pokey dangling from Claus' massive arms. The ginger's breastplate gleamed in the light, making him seem like a knight from the dark ages.

"Put… me down!" Pokey shouted defiantly, seeming both angry and afraid.

Claus sighed heavily.

"It is not proper to act out of jealousy," he said. "Why begrudge Ness of being a psion?"

"He said that he was going to kill me," Ness said weakly.

"I didn't _mean_ it!" Pokey protested.

 _That makes me feel so much better,_ Ness thought.

"Well, then," Claus said with a vicious smile. "Perhaps _you_ should see how it feels to-"

"He called me psychless," Pokey whispered.

Claus gasped, releasing Pokey from his grasp.

"Did… you really?" he asked Ness.

"Yeah…" Ness said. "He was bullying me, and-"

"Well, I may have taken the wrong side in this argument," Claus muttered.

 _What?_ Ness thought, Claus' words piercing his heart like an arrow. _What does he mean?_

"What's so bad about that word?" Ness asked. "I mean, I know that it's a form of swearing, but…"

Claus looked at Ness curiously.

"Can't you tell by the word itself? It's a slur against people who don't have psionics. Saying that word is arguably worse than uttering a racial slur."

 _No…_ Ness thought weakly. _I didn't just say something like that… did I?_

"So," Pokey said to Claus. "Would you kindly let me finish with him?"

Claus pursed his lips, closing his eyes in contemplation.

 _Just say yes,_ Ness thought, feeling the guilt start to overwhelm him. _I deserve it. I never wanted to say something so horrible to anyone._

"No," Claus said.

"What?" Pokey asked incredulously.

"He didn't know the full implications of that word," Claus explained.

"He's playing dumb!" Pokey exclaimed. "Don't fall for his innocent act?"

Claus flashed a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I know Ness. It's not an act, Pokey."

"But…" Pokey sputtered. "Even if he didn't know the full implications of the word, it's still a horrible thing to say! If someone who doesn't understand the full implications of death kills someone, they still committed murder!"

"What Ness said was awful, regardless of background knowledge," Claus replied, "But it is easier to forgive someone who didn't know what he was doing. To reuse your example, when a young boy commits murder, he is given a reduced sentence because he didn't know what he was doing."

"But…" Pokey trailed off, finding no other words. He looked at Claus' iron face and his expression turned from defiant to fearful. "This isn't over!" he shouted as he took off running.

"Thanks," Ness said to Claus, not sure whether to feel relieved or even more guilty. "Even if I didn't deserve your intervention."

Claus looked at Ness curiously.

"So bitter towards yourself…" he mused. "We have much in common, Ness. But I think that your intention, or lack of it, shines through in this case. You didn't meant to hurt him so much."

"But I did," Ness whispered.

"You can't really blame yourself if you didn't know what you were doing," Claus said.

"Your words make sense, but I just can't erase the guilt."

Claus laughed bitterly.

 _What's so funny?_ Ness wondered.

"I know," he said, his pained smile making Ness feel uncomfortable. "I know how that feels, Ness. You know that you really shouldn't blame yourself, but you look at the effects of your mistake and you can't help but feel _awful_ about yourself. At least you only hurt one person, Ness."

"Why?" Ness asked. "Is this about you? How many people did you hurt?"

"More than I can count," Claus replied. "More than I can comprehend."

"How do you live with that?" Ness asked, not really understanding what Claus meant.

"Not well," Claus replied with a snort. "These days, it's mostly anger that keeps me going."

 _That's so sad,_ Ness thought. He didn't know exactly what Claus meant, but that didn't stop empathetic sorrow from overwhelming his heart.

"But enough about me," Claus said. "You probably need a new book. This school is corrupt and you're a psionics-user, so you can make up some half-assed excuse and wiggle out of paying a fine."

"I don't care about that!" Ness exclaimed. "I need to apologize to Pokey!"

Claus shot him a disapproving look.

"He's in a dangerous state. I wouldn't recommend it."

"I have to do this," Ness whispered "I'll never forgive myself if I don't."

"Ah," Claus said, his knowing, pained smile popping back up onto his face. "In that case, I won't try to stop you. I know how that feels. Yell if you need my help again, all right?"

Ness nodded weakly, feeling nausea weigh him down. He stood up and walked in the direction that Pokey had ran. It didn't take long for him to find the bully. Pokey sat in the corner of a bookshelf, sobbing quietly. He looked up at Ness and his glare once again turned murderous, sending signals of panic throughout Ness' body. Pokey looked like he was about to lunge at him, but in the blink of an eye he reverted to his defeated state and continued sobbing.

"Pokey," Ness said softly.

"Here to make fun of me some more?" Pokey spat.

"I actually wanted to apologize," Ness said.

Pokey's expression turned curious, not seeming to believe Ness.

"Oh," Pokey said. "I get it. This is another trick to make me feel included. How long will it be until you stab me in the back?"

 _This, coming from a bully?_ Ness thought.

"I'm serious," Ness said, his voice soft yet determined. "I said a horrible thing to you, Pokey. I didn't mean…" Ness trailed off. He got the feeling that Pokey wouldn't want to hear that he hadn't intended to cause any harm. "I have no excuse. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry."

Pokey looked at Ness with wide eyes.

"You're psyching serious, aren't you?" he asked. "You really do feel bad for me."

"Always," Ness replied.

"Even after I attack you?"

"Especially then," Ness replied. "You wouldn't take your despair out on me if you didn't have it in the first place."

A single tear came to Ness' eye, releasing some of the pain that he felt on Pokey's behalf. He felt it roll down his cheek and fall to the floor. Pokey looked at him in wonder.

"After all of the pain that I caused you…" Pokey whispered. His expression suddenly turned guilty. "And you still psyching care! You care about me, when nobody else does!"

Ness had remembered Claus saying similar words to him. He _did_ care about those who suffered. Was that really so rare?

"I… what have I done?" Pokey asked nobody in particular. "I bullied the one person who really cares about me!" He started laughing hysterically. "I'm sorry, Ness. I was so jealous of you that I forgot that you were human."

Ness blinked. Was _Pokey_ really apologizing to him?

"I forgive you," Ness said. "But… why were you jealous of me?"

"You had a psyching _perfect_ family," Pokey said bitterly. "And like I said before, you always had everything that I didn't. You were athletic, friendly, respectful… you were all the things that I was expected to be."

"All of that fell apart two years ago," Ness said, trying not to let too much sadness into his heart.

"But you were still possess psionic powers," Pokey said. "My father really wanted me to be a psion. He isn't one, and our lineage contains some of the strongest psionic power in the universe. When I saw that you were made a psion instead of me… that was the last straw."

"I would give you my powers if I could," Ness said. "I don't like living on Ceres. I just wanted to live a normal life in Onett. These powers have only brought me pain."

Pokey laughed, his pained eyes reminding Ness of Claus.

"It's so sad…" Pokey whispered. "I want nothing more than to have psionic powers, and you want nothing more than to get rid of them… It's sad enough to break my mind. My brain can't comprehend the sorrow, so it tells me to laugh instead. That's even sadder, which makes my mind tell me to laugh harder."

Ness felt horrified by Pokey's explanation.

"Everything will turn out all right," he said.

Pokey looked at Ness, a glimmer of hope in his eye.

"Do you… really think so?" Pokey asked.

"Yeah," Ness said. "If we just work together, we can lean on each other during rocky times. Trust me, Pokey. Our lives will turn around if we _make_ it happen."

A smile came to Pokey's face. Not a bitter one or a sad one, a real, genuine smile rushed from Porky's addled mind and appeared on his face.

"When you say it like that, I actually believe you," he said. He looked up to the ceiling and started laughing. Again, this laughter was genuine rather than bitter. "I still hate you, Ness. I still feel jealous. A five-minute conversation can't change that. But now I know that I _shouldn't._ How did that happen?"

Ness let an easy smile come to its face.

"The universe works its magic in strange ways."

"That it does," Pokey said, seeming unsure whether to laugh or cry. "That it does, Ness. Even though I know that you're trying to help, my mind turns bitter whenever I'm near you. Oh man, that was rude, wasn't it? I should probably leave now or else I'll get even ruder. I'll… see you around, all right?"

Ness didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to feel. As Pokey walked away, he could only wonder what the _psych_ just happened.


	13. Chapter 12: Fear

**Well, school's starting in two days. D: I was hoping to have part 1 finished by then, but it looks like that won't be happening. I hope that I still have plenty of time to write this story, but with college apps... I guess we'll see. :)**

 **Fox and I are hoping to get the next chapter of Time Distorter up by Wednesday, so hopefully you'll see it then. But I make no promises.**

 **Anyways, this chapter isn't** ** _quite_** **as long as the last one, but I feel that it contains more content. Uh... I don't have much more to say, so onto the review responses, I guess! :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **DarkFoxKit:** **I'm never going to hear the end of the "Time Machine" mistake, am I? xD ...Or maybe I will. I don't know you well enough to judge something small like that. :)**

 **Glad that you like Ness' character. The scene with Pokey and Ness was bouncing around in my head for a long time (even before I started writing this story, I think), so it's nice to see other people's responses to the scene that I've known for months. :)**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:** **Yep, the faceless person is the mystery. There will be more this chapter, although only a couple of them are of consequence. And we'll see if your guess is right. :) Er... what does that Spanish line mean? xD And I'm glad that you liked Claus coming in and the last conversation! :) I was worried that they'd be super cheesy haha. Yeah, Pokey's had it pretty rough. It doesn't justify his bad actions, but it makes them more forgivable, I feel (ever notice how my characters are** ** _always_** **saying stuff like that?).**

 **Ah, thanks for the catches! I fixed the "require" one, but I was honestly too lazy to tell Fox about the other one. Gimme a sec... ok, done! :) Yeah, I'm the same way where there are some teachers who I get along really well with but I wouldn't call them friends.**

 **Heh, thanks! I almost gave up partway through book ten, but I was glad that I made it through all of them (there are 14 in total)! Ah, yeah, having read books with a lot of combat allows me to get a vague understanding of how it really works... and then I can just make up some stuff that doesn't sound too far-fetched.**

 **Yeah, religion as a justification for slavery is insane! ...Yet a lot of people did it (at least in America). People get so deluded sometimes. I'll talk in a group if nobody else is; I just hate trying to yell over people.**

 **A Fan:** **Nice theory! :) We'll see if it's accurate.**

 **Yep, I kinda pictured people acting like that as well. ;) And the psionic aura is justification for why the characters have large hp pools (in City of Progress, there was a lot of one-shotting things, and I want combat in this fic to be a little different). And the verbal components aren't required for** ** _all_** **powers, just the vast majority (I also stole this idea).**

 **Well, if you lived in their world then you would know what "psychless" meant. :) And you'll get to see some more hints about Claus in this chapter. For the record, you don't have to write super long reviews (I mean if you want to then feel more than welcome to go ahead, but... yeah). It's not a contest. ;)**

 **Wow, this response was way shorter than the review. I want to say more, but I can't think of anything else. Sorry! D:**

 **Adicarra:** **Yeah, this story's dragging along pretty slowly, isn't it? xD Thanks! :) One of my goals when starting this story was to make sure that each important character stood out, so it's great to hear that I'm not completely messing that up. xD And I guess that's one perks of not having Lucas in a story; I can make whoever I want insecure and frail.**

* * *

 _I need to snap out of my depressed mentality._

 _Telling ourselves that we don't have a choice is an easy rationale for harming other. A murderer may kill multiple people to keep their secret quiet while truly believing that they had no choice. When I didn't like what father was doing, I helped him anyway because I felt like I had no choice._

 _Once again, I feel trapped, streamlined with only one way to go. I feel like my only option is to roll over and give up, to admit that I will only cause further pain with my intervention._

 _But I do have a choice. I can wallow in self-pity, or I can get off of my ass and try to help Vulcan, this time with an open mind._

 _When put that way, the answer is obvious._

* * *

Ness awoke in the middle of the night. He got the feeling that something around him was wrong. His heart started thumping. Just what could lie in the shadows, waiting to assault him? Scanning the room, Ness saw nothing out of the ordinary. Chairs lay in their proper positions; darkness remained stagnant. Ness convinced himself that he was just imagining things and closed his eyes once more.

"About time that you woke up."

Ness' jolted up in his bed. To the side stood a cloaked figure. He (or she?) stood taller than Ness, and even appeared to move with the shadows, every sway of his cape seeming synchronized with the tug and pull of the darkness. He walked over to the other side of Ness' bed, not making a sound. In his groggy state, Ness wondered whether or not this person was really human.

"I am disappointed, Ninten," the cloaked figure said. His voice was deep and pained. "I had hoped to face a challenge. Too bad for you that the jig is up. You're coming with me."

A chill gripped Ness, freezing him for what felt like hours.

"Where?" he asked, not able to hear his voice over the pounding of his heart.

"Don't play dumb," came the curt response. "You know just why I'm here."

"No I don't…" Ness said. "And wait. Did you call me 'Ninten'?"

"Yes," the cloaked figure replied. "That is your name, after all."

"N-No…" Ness whispered, his teeth chattering. "My name is Ness."

The cloaked figure snorted.

"Playing dumb won't save you. Not that it's a bad idea. I don't really blame you, given the circumstances. If you avoid detection, then you don't have to fight us at all. That's one of the first things that I learned as a thief."

 _A thief?_ Ness thought. _And what does he mean about Ninten?_

"No," Ness said weakly. "My name is Ness. It really is."

"Heh," the cloaked figure said humorlessly. "Give it up. You know who I am and why I'm here."

 _Why would Ninten get involved with this man? Although, he implied that Ninten doesn't want anything to do with him. Is Ninten a criminal or something?_

That honestly wouldn't have surprised Ness. Ninten possessed a heart of gold, but he always seemed rather… bitter. That characteristic often bred disrespect for the law.

"Please…" Ness whispered. "Ninten isn't here. I'm Ness… My name is Ness…"

"Well, you're good at acting," the cloaked man said. "I'll give you that. Now, come quietly with me. We need you alive, but that doesn't mean that we will hesitate to… punish you if we have to."

The cloaked figure's casual tone terrified Ness. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

 _Not this!_ Ness thought. _Not again! Please… anything but this!_

Ness couldn't talk. He couldn't fight. So he did the only thing that he could.

He cried.

Ness felt so _weak_ as the tears came streaming from his eyes, alone in the darkness. He couldn't do anything right, not even when his life depended on it!

"You still insist at playing this game?" the man asked. "Very well. I shall call your bluff."

After a split second, Ness saw a glint of steel and registered a flash of pain as he felt a knife slit open his throat, fiery pain erupting from the wound. Ness' psionic aura was still weak, meaning that the slash from the knife would surely kill him. Instinctively, Ness activated his psionic stall, giving him a couple of seconds to live. In a panicked frenzy, Ness flailed his arms and used the power "Lifeup", which sealed the cut on his throat. He let out a sigh of relief as the pain faded. Ness took deep, shaky breaths as the cloaked man stood over him.

 _And here it ends,_ Ness thought weakly. _Goodbye, mom. I'm sorry that I never got to see you again…_

"You aren't Ninten, are you?" the cloaked man asked. "He would have grabbed my hand before the knife reached his throat. Ninten really is somewhere else."

Ness nodded.

"I… don't know anyone named Ninten," he lied. "I know that I'm not him. I'm just a normal kid."

"A normal kid with psionic powers," the cloaked man muttered. "Who looks the exact same as Ninten."

"I can't really help that," Ness said, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't give away Ninten's location, no matter what!

"I revealed too much," the man mused. "I should probably kill you."

To say that Ness felt terrified to the core would be a vast understatement. He forgot how to breathe. He forgot how to think. His mind focused on one thing:

He was going to die.

"…But I won't," the man continued with a sigh. "After all, attacking you was my mistake. I would hate to see you pay for my carelessness. Try not to tell _too_ many people about me, all right? …Not that any of them will believe you. Now I need to locate the real Ninten. Goodbye… Ness."

The man turned around and walked out, his cloak trailing soundlessly behind him. Ness sat in his bed, unable to shake the terror of what had just happened. He had almost been _murdered!_ It seemed so surreal. Murder shouldn't feel so close, so imminent. Murder was something that he assumed would happen to _someone else_.

But, as Ness realized in defeat, everyone is someone else to the rest of the world.

 _How can I go to bed after this?_ Ness wondered.

He looked at the shadows in his room and suddenly felt afraid. He tried for minutes to forget about the attempt on his life, but nothing could shake his terror. Like a child, he had become afraid of the dark and its secrets.

After many failed attempts to fall asleep, Ness decided to give up. He walked over and turned on the lights (the notion of electrical lights still seemed wondrous to him), his dilated pupils cringing the abundance of light. Ness walked over to his nightstand and picked up the portable holocom (or the portocom, as Jeff now called it), holding it up as he looked at his frail reflection in the purple screen.

 _I don't want to do this… it makes me feel so weak,_ Ness thought. _But I don't know if I can make it through the rest of the night alone. I hope that Ana won't get mad at me._

His fingers shaking, Ness typed in Ana's number and sent the call. Seconds passed like hours as Ness stared feverishly at the purple screen.

 _Please…_ he thought, unable to articulate a full thought. _Please._

* * *

Ness walked into the cafeteria the next morning, his fear replaced with exhaustion. Ana walked next to him, doing her best to put on a sunny attitude. The fact that Ness had to rely on her for everything made him feel cowardly, but he didn't even want to _think_ about the alternative.

"Well, we made it through the night!" Ana exclaimed.

"Yeah," Ness whispered. "Thanks for coming over to my room. I was so scared… I feel so _pathetic._ "

"You almost died," Ana said. "I think that entitles anyone to cower for a few days."

"You wouldn't have felt so scared," Ness whispered. "It's me, Ana. I'm weak. I'm helpless."

"Well, trust me on this one," Ana said. "You do _not_ want to be me."

 _Huh?_ Ness thought. _Why?_

Ness cut off his thought as he arrived at their normal table, gingerly taking a seat. Ninten was already there, eating steak. He looked at Ness and frowned.

"You look like you slept terribly," he noted.

"I did," Ness said softly.

"And you look troubled, Ann," Ninten continued.

Ness glanced at Ana. She seemed normal to him.

 _I guess it makes sense that Ninten can read Ana better than I can,_ Ness thought with a shrug.

"One of the empirists attacked Ness last night," Ana said, looking at Ninten with steely eyes. "He thought that Ness was you."

Ninten listed off every swear word that Ness knew and then some more in a vehement rage. His cheeks flushed red and he slammed his fist on the table. Luckily, there was so much chatter that nobody seemed to notice.

"Those bastards!" Ninten exclaimed. "They're supposed to be gone!"

"80 years isn't enough to beat them down," Ana said. "They're determined to get what they want, and you've seen some of the… _collateral damage_ that they've caused trying to accomplish their goals. Did you really think that they would stop?"

"I suppose not," Ninten answered, looking deeply troubled. "Why didn't you wake me up and tell me last night?"

"I tried to call you with the portocom, but you didn't answer. You likely slept through the call."

"You could have walked into my room in person," Ninten grumbled.

"I tried," Ana said. "But you _barricaded_ it from the inside."

Ninten blinked.

"…Oh."

 _Ana and Ninten obviously have experience with the empirists,_ Ness thought. _But why would the empirists want to kidnap Ninten? It doesn't make any sense to me._

Looking at Ninten's tense face, Ness decided that now was not the right time to ask.

"How did they even sneak into the school?" Ninten asked. "This place is supposed to be filled to the brim with defensive enchantments."

"I don't think that the man who came after Ness could use psionics," Ana said. "And powerful psions have a habit of underestimating those without such powers. I think that be bypassed most of the enchantments by just being… normal. After all, the school doesn't want to zap a parent for walking in unauthorized."

Ness fidgeted in his seat.

"…But I think that we're making Ness feel uncomfortable," Ana said. "Let's just focus on classes, all right? We get our tests back in Intro to PSI today."

 _Classes,_ Ness thought. _They feel so hollow._

Ness knew what was happening. After traumatic events, he tended to get depressed. He _so badly_ wanted to resist the emptiness of depression, but he couldn't shake the weariness that weighed him down. He felt his eyelids fall over his eyes, shrouding him in darkness. What would it be like to see nothing but the darkness? What would it be like to leave all of his worries behind and just… fade away?

Ness racked his brains for an answer and found one word: light. It would feel light to give up on the world and all of its stresses.

 _Stop it!_ Ness told himself. _Even after father's death, I didn't think about suicide! I won't let myself fall so low._

But could he care enough to stop himself?

"Ness," Ninten said. "Are you all right?"

 _No._

"Yeah," Ness whispered weakly.

"Ness," Ana said, her deep eyes seeming to form an unseen connection with Ness' own. "I know that this is tough. I don't expect you to act the same after someone nearly killed you. But… we're here for you. Please remember that."

Ness nodded. Ana's words always made him feel a bit better.

"Now, do you think that you can make it to class?" Ana asked. "I think that Mr. Agerate will make you feel comfortable."

Ness bit his lip.

"I… think so," he managed.

"Be careful not to push yourself too hard," Ninten said. "You don't want to burn out, after all."

"I'm fine," Ness said, a bit of confidence shining through.

Ninten nodded.

"Good," he said. "If you can really take it, then go ahead. But remember that it's okay to be weak."

Ana nodded.

"We can be your strength, if you find yourself unable to muster your own."

A ray of warmth entered Ness' heart. The two people sitting with him _really cared._ In that moment, Ness could almost view the world as he did before his innocence had been stolen away. He almost saw the world through the eyes of a child.

"Thanks, guys," Ness whispered. "I don't know what I would do without you."

* * *

Ness sat in Intro to PSI, wondering how he could go on. He had subconsciously assumed that coming close to death would stop life in its tracks and give him some time to recover.

But it didn't. Life went on.

"Hey, Ness," Jeff said, looking at the test that he had just received. "What did you get on the test?"

"Average of 6.25," Ness answered. "I messed up on metacreativity. I never really understood ectoplasm that well to begin with."

Grades at this school were on a scale of 1 to 10. This test counted for four scores: basic psionics, psychokinetics, psychometabolism, and metacreativity.

"6.25 is pretty good!" Jeff exclaimed.

That was generous. A score of six was average.

"Really?" Ness asked. "What did you get?"

"Err… 7.75," Jeff said sheepishly.

Jeff's score approached an eight, which was pretty much perfect. Higher scores could only be achieved through over-the-top work.

"Congratulations," Ness said politely, but his heart wasn't in it.

"Ness," Jeff said. "6.25 is pretty good, especially considering…"

"Considering what?" Ness asked. "That I'm dumb?"

Jeff fumbled, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to search for the right words.

"That you have _no_ experience whatsoever with psionics," Ninten finished for him. "The rest of us knew most of this stuff already."

Jeff shot Ninten an appreciative look.

"Yeah, that's what I meant to say," he said. "What did you get on the test, Ninten?

"5.5," he replied.

"Well, you most certainly didn't know the material before the class if you got _that_ grade!" Jeff exclaimed in surprise.

 _His score isn't much worse than mine,_ Ness thought, feeling self-conscious.

"Well, I didn't really try," Ninten said. "Nobody's going to come breathing down my neck about it… except for maybe you."

"Why wouldn't you try?" Jeff asked. "People look at your grades, Ninten!"

"We're psions," Ninten said. "We can do pretty much anything and still find a job. We're just too useful to ignore, especially about something as silly as grades."

 _Thank goodness he's not in Swordplay while saying that,_ Ness thought. _Pokey's father would blow up, and Ninten would blow up in response, resulting in him getting detention. I've lost count of how many times that's happened._

Ness looked up at Mr. Agerate, who seemed to mull something over in his head as he stood at the head of the classroom. Either he hadn't heard Ninten's words or he didn't care.

Jeff sighed in exasperation.

"What did you get, Ana?" he asked. "Hopefully better than Ninten…"

Ninten rolled his eyes.

"9.5," Ana replied. "And where's Tony?"

Jeff's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

"How did you _possibly_ get 9.5?" he asked. "Err… may I see your test? I want to learn how to pull that score."

Ana handed him the sheets of paper. Jeff's surprise only increased as he read through Ana's test.

"How do you know so much about psychokinetics?" he asked.

"I'm a kinetist, remember?" Ana asked. "Psychokinetics are my specialty. I'm sure that Ninten could have pulled a ten in metacreativity if he tried."

Jeff didn't seem to hear her.

"And how on Ceres did you manage to relate quantum physics to metacreativity?" Jeff asked.

"Easy," Ninten replied. "One of the theories relating to quantum physics states that there are multiple universes, and universes can _split_ when changes happen at the quantum level. Metacreativity takes power from extradimensional space, which many psions theorize to be the space between these universes. The connection is obvious."

Ness didn't find that obvious at all. Neither did Jeff, judging by the look on his face.

"See?" Ana asked. "Ninten knows his stuff about metacreativity. And where is Tony?"

"Tony?" Jeff asked. "I think that he's… skipping. It's stupid, but he wants to do it and he won't let anyone stop him."

Before he had a chance to elaborate further, Mr. Agerate spoke from the head of the classroom:

"I do not want to do this, but the government has mandated that all psionic initiates go through a certain… I don't even know what to call it."

His skin seemed to sag as he sighed.

 _He looks ten years older than he normally does,_ Ness thought. _This must really weigh him down._

Mr. Agerate put a cloth-covered ball down on his desk. He removed the cloth to reveal a sphere that looked eerily like a crystal ball. The biggest difference was that lights seemed to dance inside of the sphere, producing wondrous patterns on the ball's surface. Ness wondered if there was an entire world of inside of that crystal ball. It just looked so _deep._

"This device… shows you the person who you fear the most when you pick it up," Mr. Agerate explained.

Multiple people gasped. Ness felt an icy hand grip his heart. He had to go through that… but who would he see? Would the person who nearly killed him last night appear or would he see _her?_

"Additionally, you won't remember that you're holding the ball once you pick it up," Mr. Agerate continued. "You'll think that it's… real."

The other students doubtless reacted in shock, but Ness didn't pay attention to them. He couldn't go through this, not again! He had already lived through moments of terror; he couldn't bear to relive them.

"So… only students with psionic powers have to go through this?" Jeff spoke up.

Mr. Agerate nodded. Rather than looking relieved, Jeff turned to Ness with an expression of sympathy.

"I'm… sorry," he whispered.

 _He cares too,_ Ness thought, feeling guilty. While others cared only about him, he cared only about himself. He hadn't even _thought_ about how Ana and Ninten would handle their fears.

"It's not your fault," Ninten replied.

"I know," Jeff said, "But I'm sorry anyway."

"Mr. Agerate," Ana spoke up, a glint of desperation in her eye. "Ness and Paula have recently suffered trauma. To make them relive that would be cruel."

Mr. Agerate gritted his teeth.

"Okay…" he said. "I'm not supposed to do this, but… if that's the case, I need you two to tell me who you fear the most. If you do that, then I _might_ be able to make up some lies and get you out of this."

 _No!_ Ness thought. _Do I really have to tell my secret to the world?_

"The person who I fear the most… is Ness," Paula whispered, looking at him with a mixture of terror and guilt.

That sentence nearly broke Ness' heart.

Mr. Agerate nodded slowly, his brittle expression starting to show cracks.

"And you, Ness?" he asked.

Ness took a deep breath. He hated to do this, but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't go through his most painful moment, not again!

"Diana Carpainter," he whispered.

That provoked gasps from the other students.

"Divine Rulers!" Ninten swore. "Did you _meet_ that bitch?"

Ness nodded weakly.

"And you're alive?" Jeff asked in wonder.

"I guess I have a habit of barely holding on to my life," Ness whispered.

"What does _that_ mean?" Jeff asked.

"We'll tell you later," Ana said.

"Now," Mr. Agerate said. "I hate to do this, but I need all of the psionic students to step up and hold this crystal ball."

"Do you think that it's some kind of joke?" Jeff asked.

Ninten shook his head.

"I detect a psionic aura from the crystal ball. It's been enchanted with something from the telepathy discipline."

 _Well, I can't detect anything,_ Ness thought weakly. _I guess I'm just not good enough._

"If you're taking volunteers, I'll go first," Ana said, her eyes alight with fiery determination.

"Thank you," Mr. Agerate said. "And again, I'm terribly sorry to have to do this."

"I know that this isn't your fault," Ana said. "So what's the purpose of this… experience? Does the government think to make us stronger by forcing us to face our fears?"

Mr. Agerate hesitated before nodding.

"That's not right," Ninten whispered to Ness. "It doesn't make sense, and Ann knows it. I wonder what the _real_ reason is…"

Ana walked up to the crystal ball, examining it closely.

"When the person who you fear appears, you won't be able to say their name," Mr. Agerate said. "That way, nobody will know who that person is."

Rather than looking relieved, Ana adopted a confused expression.

"That doesn't make sense either," Ninten whispered. "If nobody's supposed to know, why make you and Paula give up the names of the people who _you_ fear?"

 _Why indeed?_ Ness thought, trying to focus on that rather than worrying about Ana.

Ana took a deep breath and picked up the crystal ball. Instantly, her eyes shone purple as she stared blankly, clearly in some sort of a trance. After a few seconds, she started talking.

"Oh, how nice it is to see you!" she exclaimed. "What reason do you have for requesting my audience at this time?"

"Ana _fears_ that person?" Jeff asked. "If I didn't know better, I would say she gets along with him or her quite well."

"Yes, yes, I understand," Ana said, flashing a smile. "We went over this a while ago."

 _She seems so sincere,_ Ness thought. _Yet she can't possibly be._

That made Ness feel uncomfortable. If she could pretend to like someone who terrified her, then she could easily pretend to care about Ness. Was she sincere in her friendliness towards Ness, or did she just tolerate him because he was Ninten's friend? As much as Ness wanted to rule out the second possibility, he knew that he couldn't.

"Ness," Ninten whispered. "I have a huge favor to ask of you."

"Okay…" Ness said.

Ninten pulled out a knife with a ruby in its hilt. Engravings covered the blade, forming tiny words of Latin. Ness nearly gasped.

"This is a Dynaldas replica," Ninten explained. "You know, the knife that Emperor George supposedly used to murder his wife?"

"Oh," Ness said shakily. "A replica. Of course…"

Ninten smirked.

"You didn't think that I had the real thing, did you?" he whispered teasingly.

"Of course not," Ness lied.

"Sure," Ninten said, clearly not convinced. "But onto the favor. You see, while this knife isn't Dynaldas, it can still kill. If I meet the person who I think that I will… let's just say that I will try to pull the knife."

A chill ran down Ness' spine.

"So you want me to hold onto it for you?" he whispered.

Ninten nodded.

"…All right," Ness said.

A look of relief washed over Ninten's face.

"Thanks, Ness," he said. "That really takes a lot of weight off of my chest."

By then, Ana's eyes had returned to normal. She looked around the room, quivering like a leaf as she drew a shaky breath. Inn a second, she adopted an easygoing smile and straightened her posture. She walked back to her seat and sat down as if nothing had happened.

 _It's all an act,_ Ness realized. _She's trying to act strong even though she's suffocating on the inside. How often does she do that?_

"I'll go next," Ninten said to Mr. Agerate. "But I want you to promise that you'll take that ball away if I try to murder something."

The students laughed like it was a joke. Ninten didn't seem to intend one. Mr. Agerate's face paled.

"I promise," he said.

Ninten walked up and shot a wry smile at the crystal ball.

"I've been dreading this moment for two years," he said. "Maybe I should just get it over with."

He picked up the ball and his eyes turned a blank purple. Ninten instantly addressed the air in front of him with a torrent of curses and threats. After a couple minutes, Ninten looked dangerously close to launching an attack, so Mr. Agerate grabbed the ball from him, making sure to handle it through the cloth so that he wouldn't activate its effects himself.

Ninten walked back to his seat in a huff.

"I'm surprised that you didn't drop the crystal ball," Jeff said.

"One of my hands was locked in place," Ninten explained. "I was about to attack that son of a…" Ninten cut himself off, taking a deep breath. "I was about to go too far. I hope that I _never_ have to do that again.

"I don't think that you will," Ana said with a smile. "But it's quite unsettling, isn't it?"

"That's an understatement," Ninten muttered.

Poo volunteered to go next, leaving Claus for last. As the Dalaamian approached the crystal ball, Ninten spoke:

"I think Poo will see his father," he whispered. "He told me a little about the man, and none of it was good. Poo's father sounds like a nasty piece of work."

"Your father isn't all that great himself," Ana replied.

"Ann, please drop it," Ninten said with a sigh. "You know that we'll never agree on this."

"Psychological abuse is still abuse," Ana muttered. "Guilt tripping, scathing insults… you father is a nasty man, Ninten."

Ninten pretended not to hear her. Jeff and Ness exchanged glances. Ness had assumed that Ninten and Ana just… got along and never had any disagreements, which seemed silly in retrospect.

They all missed the moment where Poo had grabbed the crystal ball, because he didn't utter a single word as he stood at the front of the classroom. Every once in a while, his face flashed with pain, but he didn't speak or move for minutes. Ness wouldn't have even known that he was under a trance if his eyes hadn't turned purple.

After a few minutes, Poo's eyes returned to normal. He walked back to his seat and sat down without saying a word.

"I'm going to go talk to him, all right?" Ninten asked.

Without waiting for a response, Ninten walked over and sat next to Poo. Mr. Agerate looked at Claus nervously.

"Would you mind making your way up, Claus?" he asked.

Claus sighed.

"I suppose that I don't want to cause too much trouble for you," he said with a dangerous smile. "You're pretty cool."

Mr. Agerate did not look flattered. He looked flat-out intimidated.

 _Does Claus try to act scary?_ Ness wondered. _He doesn't really seem like a bad person… but at the same time, I can't see him doing all of this by accident._

Claus walked up to the crystal ball and lifted it. His eyes remained the same. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why isn't this working?" Claus asked nobody in particular. "Oh, wait…" he reached in his pocket and fiddled with something that Ness couldn't see. His eyes then turned purple, indicating that he had succumbed to the trance.

After a few seconds, Claus started laughing. It was mocking yet somehow _pained._ Ness felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"It's just too funny," Claus said. Even his empty, purple eyes looked haunted. "The person who I fear the most… It's not mother or father; it's you!"

Claus continued laughing, sounding like a madman. Nobody else dared to speak. Nobody dared to ask the obvious question of how Claus knew that he was meeting the person who he feared. Wasn't the orb supposed to erase all context of the meeting in the victim's mind?

"Yes, it has been a long time," Claus said. "And I am tired as well. So tired… when will we find a place to rest? …You _sometimes_ want to die? Not always? Well, I suppose that is where we differ. I would have killed myself long ago if not for you."

"Divine Rulers," Jeff whispered. "He's insane."

 _He seemed normal when we sat together during orientation,_ Ness thought. _Well, maybe not normal, but not like this!_

"How do you take it?" Claus asked. "Seeing your life literally fall apart right in front of your eyes? …Hmm? You've been beaten down so far that you don't care? I suppose that works…"

"My god," Paula whispered, her eyes showing an ocean of pain. She grabbed onto the cross on her necklace. "Please, stop."

"I'm going over there," Ana said, her face hardening. "She needs help."

"Thanks," Ness whispered.

"You don't ever feel angry?" Claus asked. "I cannot imagine your circumstances. Anger is all that keeps me going."

"Geez," Jeff whispered. "Who is he talking to?"

 _And more importantly, why is he so broken?_ Ness added mentally.

"Why am I afraid of you?" Claus asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Well, you _did_ try to kill me…" Claus sighed. "Yes, you're right. That isn't the reason. I'm scared of you because you see me as the weak little bastard that I am. I'm terrified of people figuring out that I only act gruff and hard to cover up my weaknesses."

"Please…" Paula whispered. "I can't listen to this…"

 _Paula…_ Ness thought, wanting _so badly_ to help. Luckily, Ana whispered something to Paula that seemed to calm her down.

"Well, I still love you," Claus said, "Whatever that's worth. What about you? Do you even have the capacity to love anymore? …You don't, huh? That's what I expected. It doesn't make it any easier to hear."

"I think that's enough," Mr. Agerate said, snatching the crystal ball away from Claus, once again making sure to put the cloth between the orb and his hand.

Claus awoke from his trance.

"I didn't mean to reveal any of that," he muttered, glancing angrily at the entire class.

"Are you feeling… suicidal?" Mr. Agerate asked.

"Psych off," Claus said, "And leave me alone. Like I said, I won't kill myself. Not while I still have work to do."

Ness waited for Mr. Agerate to snap. Any teacher would respond poorly to the blatant lack of respect in Claus' words, and sometimes those with long fuses like Mr. Agerate created large explosions.

Mr. Agerate didn't snap. He didn't say anything. His posture remained the same; his face remained the same.

Which made it all the more surprising when Ness spotted the single tear running down his face.

"All right," Mr. Agerate said, and while his voice didn't change, Ness could tell that Claus' words deeply affected him. "Good luck."

"All of the good luck in the universe won't outweigh the bad," Claus said, "But thanks. If more people acted like you, I don't think that this universe would be so psyched up."

Ness looked back to Mr. Agerate, subconsciously expecting the teacher to react negatively to Claus' profanity. Mr. Agerate only offered Claus a sad smile.

"I don't think that any one of you will feel comfortable getting back into class after that," Mr. Agerate said, "So you are all dismissed."

All of the students shuffled out of room, eager to escape the creepy atmosphere. As usual, Ness waited for the others to pile out the door to leave, not wanting to get stuck in a crowd. Ness took one look back into the classroom as he was leaving.

He saw Mr. Agerate sobbing quietly, looking ancient in his despair.


	14. Chapter 13: Snooping Around

**School is now a thing. D: But my classes don't seem bad this year, so I'm feeling hopeful. But seriously, why did I just get a coloring project in AP Psychology? DX**

 **They say that teenagers like me need 9-10 hours of sleep, but I would have to go to bed at 9 to get that. xD I managed to do that halfway through Junior year, and after that I quit (actually, it was when I started writing City of Progress). So I'm feeling pretty tired right now. :( How about you guys?**

 **I also had textbook sections that I planned to add for this chapter. While these ones weren't boring, it felt kinda like I was trying to force information down your throats. So I removed those parts and added on a bit from the next chapter onto this one. Anyways, the good news is that this plot is progressing! We are approaching the end of part 1, and I'm not going to tell you how many parts there are because I don't know yet. xD**

 **I can't think of anything else to say (especially with my tired brain) so I'm going to respond to reviews.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **DarkFoxKit:** **Yeah, I've never had low self-esteem like Ness, but writing it comes relatively easily to me (compared to Ninten's character, at least). It feels awesome knowing that readers like you are emotionally connecting with my characters! :) Yep, Lucas is definitely the consensus for who everyone thinks that Claus was talking to.**

 **Huh, that's an interesting point with Ness feeling like Ninten and Ana are better than him. I totally get what you mean, but at the same time I feel like he might be so relieved that he doesn't even think about it. I don't know. xD It's just what came out. But yeah, I should at least address that next time. Thanks! :)**

 **Adicarra: Thanks! :) I'm glad that you can feel for Ness. He doesn't really understand that most people would be just as terrified as he in his situation. D: ...And I tend to make my characters go through a lot (I'm always interested to see how they turn out... sometimes my characters surprise even me :O). I suppose that part of my fascination with intense emotional struggles stems from the fact that I've had a really easy life so far. I'm trying to understand just how it feels to hurt in such a severe way and what that can do to an individual.**

 **Yeah, Ninten acting aggressive towards the person who he fears probably wasn't surprising. :P Ninten usually expresses his fear through anger, which is part of the reason why he interests me so much. You'll get an (admittedly small) glimpse into Lucas' past relatively soon... with the speed at which this story is progressing, it might take a while to work his and Claus' past into the story. Hey, it's great that you had a teacher like Mr. Agerate! :D Teachers really make or break classes.**

 **Orangeflight of ShadowClan: Proud Accomplishment? (I googled it and got nothing D:)**

 **I started school yesterday, actually. But this day kinda felt like the first because my classes switch off every other day, so this was my first time with this specific set of classes. And yeah, this is the first time I mentioned that Ness' dad is dead. I put a few subtle hints in, but this is the first time I've said it outright.**

 **Yeah, a lot of people need encouragement, both in this story and in real life. I always make characters' situations pretty rough and see how they adapt (believe it or not, this story was planned to be pretty light with mostly day-to-day life stuff... it's funny looking back on that plan. xD). Thanks for the catch! :D I hate those spelling errors that spellcheck doesn't catch. D:**

 **Yeah, Claus' and Lucas' backstories are the most intense. I always planned to unfold them slowly, but with the pace of this story... it could seriously take a while. xD And I'm glad that you can feel for Mr. Agerate... he was one of the characters that I kind of slapped on, so I'm glad to see that he still means something to you. :)**

 **I'm _totally_ the same way! I can spot spelling/grammar mistakes pretty easily in other people's writing, but I suck at it in my own. It makes sense, though. Since I'm so familiar with my own words, my brain tells me that it's okay to skim over stuff since there's nothing new/exciting. Wow, I've never visited a teacher's house. That's so cool!**

 **Wow... I had no idea that Warriors was that big! xD I've never read the books myself (and now I'm at the age where they wouldn't really interest me D:). But seriously? Four series? I honestly get a bit annoyed when authors make a ton of books but keep each one really short. It feels like kind of a scam, honestly (I don't know how long Warriors books are, but I had that problem with a fantasy series called Drizzt). I mean, with that long series that I was reading (it's called Wheel of Time, in case I haven't said that yet), most of the books are longer than 300k words, so it feels like the author just wanted to write more instead of wringing more money out of people. But maybe that's just me.**

 **A Fan: Well, missing one chapter isn't all that bad. :) Nah, them getting confused isn't really a joke. It's just sometimes fun to write about scenes where the main character doesn't really know what's going on (because I don't want to spill all of my secrets yet!). Yep, Ninten and Ana are definitely familiar with where the assassin is from. And yeah, it's the same cloaked guy as the one near the start.**

 **Yep, pride often causes illogical underestimations. A lot of it has a historical basis as well. In the empire, psions were considered to be _better_ than everyone else in pretty much every aspect, and some of that bias remains. And psionics in this universe are more powerful and versatile than in Earthbound or Mother 3. But as you will see, there are definitely ways to kill powerful psions.**

 **I'll say that Paula's reaction doesn't necessarily connect her to Claus' ramblings. She could be scared for other reasons. I like your theory, though! :) And I'm glad that you picked up on the importance of Claus having some sort of ward in his pocket.**

 **Yeah, none of that was intentional, but that doesn't make it any less perceptive on your part! :) One of the beauties of writing is that an author can put these deep characters out into the world where people are free to make their own connections and draw their own conclusion. The one thing that they hammer into my mind in high school English is that author's intent doesn't matter at all.**

 **crabbyTomato: Hey, I would _love_ to hear your long rants (no sarcasm, really! I like long reviews) :)**

 **Yeah, the universe just came out of the dark ages, so there's a lot of prejudice. It seems rather progressive and free to the people there, but that's because they could only compare it to the empire's totalitarian regime. And yeah, I'll explain everything... eventually. :)**

 **Hey, if you like the culture and worldbuilding that I did, you should totally check out some contemporary fantasy! There are real authors who do it better than I (Both The Wheel of Time and Stormlight Archive have great worlds with great cultures, but I prefer Stormlight Archive from a prose/character development/plot pace perspective). While all of my ideas are my own, I picked up on most of the processes from those series (the major points being that all culture should have roots in the world's history and that culture/lore should be mixed with plot progression so that it doesn't seem like Lord of The Rings). But thanks! :)**

 **Yeah, I just have more fun writing verbose characters. I don't know it I'm going to accept it or try to fight it just yet. When I become and adult and start writing about adult characters, it will probably be more believable. Thanks for pointing it out, though! :)**

* * *

 _Nostalgia. At what point does it become a bad thing? Sometimes, I want to go back to a time when life was simpler._

 _That scares me. The time of which I speak was riddled with abuse and lies. Yet I still crave it…_

 _Maybe it's because the pain was all that I knew. Even if I hurt, I was home. That was enough for me._

 _It shouldn't have been. I should have struggled and resisted. But I didn't. I can't help but think that if I had acted a bit more rebellious, I wouldn't have killed so many innocent people._

* * *

Jeff sat at a cafeteria table, trying to forget about that Intro to PSI class a week ago.

 _Who would Ninten fear enough to physically attack?_ He wondered. _And Claus… just what did he go through to end up so twisted?_

Jeff shook his head. He had already spent hours thinking about that, and that time had yielded no useful results. Instead of focusing on that incident, Jeff opened up his History of PSI textbook and started reading the assigned chapter on the Divine Rulers.

After a few minutes of reading, Jeff yawned and closed his book. He already knew all of the information, and he imagined that most people did as well. The Divine Rulers were simply powerful psion emperors who claimed (falsely, of course) to be gods. Jeff still didn't want to be left alone with his thoughts, but he _certainly_ didn't want to read stuff that he already knew. He decided to skip ahead, opening the book back up. He flipped to a random page in the second half of the book and started reading.

The chapter detailed about some Cultural Revolution centuries ago spearheaded by a woman named Empress Rina. According to the text, Rina forcibly snatched more artsy jobs from men and handed them to women in an attempt to give them more opportunities.

 _Is this… true?_ Jeff wondered. _Are girls supposed to learn art, and to a lesser extend music, because of one woman who lived hundreds of years ago? Crazy._

Jeff wasn't sure how to feel about Rina. On the one hand, women back then did deserve more opportunities, but denying those same opportunities from men was nothing short of immoral.

"Hey, Jeffster," came a voice from behind him. Jeff turned around to see Tony, wearing a characteristic smile. "You look surprised about something."

"Yeah, I'm surprised!" Jeff explained. "I just learned that many of our gender roles in today's society are the result of one woman's work a few centuries ago!"

"Really?" Tony asked, sitting next to Jeff. "Like what?"

"You know how girls are supposed to be creative and boys are supposed to be pragmatic and strong? That tradition came from Empress Rina. Before then, men filled the roles of soldiers _and_ artists."

Tony raised an eyebrow, not seeming to believe Jeff.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Jeff pointed at the section in his history textbook. Tony scanned it, looking deeply disturbed.

"So Rina's manipulation and assassination turned our culture into what it is today," Tony said. "That's… disturbing. Yet I can't even imagine a male artist like this book describes. It just seems so _weird._ "

"Yeah," Jeff replied, thinking about Ness. "It makes me wonder if we really should push people to do _anything_ based off of gender."

"That sounds like something that Ninten would say," Tony replied with a smirk.

"He might be right," Jeff said. "And speaking of Ninten, how are you two getting along after that… incident?"

"Oh, you mean when he blew up at me?" Tony asked with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That was two months ago. I don't really hold grudges, and neither does he. We might think that the other one of us is crazy, but neither of us really care. Better to be kind than normal, right?"

"Err… yeah," Jeff said. "So neither of you care about that argument? He looked like he was about to murder you."

"Some people are emotional," Tony said, "And that's okay. Ninten blows up every once in a while, and I just happened to be the unfortunate recipient. I don't take it personally."

Jeff wasn't sure that _he_ would forgive as easily, which made him uncomfortable. He always admired Tony's ability to make friends with _anyone,_ even someone who hated his guts the day before. Jeff had tried to imitate Tony's methods, but he had never yielded meaningful results. Perhaps he just didn't have Tony's charisma.

"And Ninten is highly emotional, like I implied," Tony continued. "After the incident, he calmed down and was able to see that while my opinions are quite different from his, that's okay. Neither of us let differences in beliefs prevent us from seeing people for who they are."

 _And yet Ninten doesn't like me,_ Jeff thought. _So if he can see me for who I am, what does that make me?_

"Actually, I've gotten a worse response from Ness," Tony said, his normally excited face turning downcast. "He doesn't really trust me, not that I blame him. I hurt his feelings more than I thought. I assumed that he would get over it after a couple of months, but some people don't work that way."

 _Yeah, some people don't drop incidents as easily as Tony and Ninten,_ Jeff thought. _I'm like that._

"Well, you'll just have to regain his trust," Jeff said.

"That's pretty difficult when he spends all of his time alone," Tony pointed out.

Jeff shrugged. He didn't know what else to say, being a novice with emotions himself.

"Speaking of Ness, do you know what happened between him and Paula?" Tony asked.

"No," Jeff said. "Ness doesn't know."

"Are you sure?" Tony asked. "I don't want to seem like a jerk, but if she's scared of him then there's probably a reason. He could be pretending."

"Ness isn't that kind of person," Jeff said, not budging an inch.

"But how can you be sure, after only knowing him for a couple of months?" Tony asked. "Think about it. How is there a way that Ness _doesn't_ know why Paula fears him?"

"Ness wouldn't lie," Jeff maintained. "Not about something like this."

"Maybe he forced himself to forget," Tony said. "Maybe he hypnotized himself into erasing that memory from his mind because he felt too guilty."

A shiver ran down Jeff's spine. He had read of psions who had done that in the past. Hypnotizing one's self was a technique used to remember specific scenes… or forget them.

"Think about it," Tony said softly. "He's someone who feels a lot of guilt. Can't you see him resorting to self-hypnosis to escape that guilt? Sure, he'll hate himself while he's doing it, but afterwards… he won't remember a thing. People do crazy things when they feel that they've been backed into a corner."

Jeff didn't respond. He wanted to yell that Ness would never do that, but the truth was that he _could_ see Ness resorting to something drastic if he felt that he had no other options. Maybe Ana was right and Paula's memory had been altered, but even she admitted that her idea didn't make much sense.

"But I'm straying off topic," Tony said. "I spent the better part of last week looking into rumors, which is why I skipped my classes. You'd be surprised at how many secrets this school has. Anyways, I found one that seems scarily plausible, and I want to see if it's true. Will you come with me?"

"What's the rumor?" Jeff asked.

Tony flashed a cold smile.

"Apparently, one of the staff members was murdered last year."

"A-are you joking?" Jeff stammered. "That's horrifying!"

Tony nodded.

"I want to see if it's true," he repeated.

"But if you get involved in that…" _You might die yourself!_ Jeff finished in his head, unable to say those words out loud.

"Hey, it's just a rumor," Tony said with an amused smile. "It's probably not real. I just want to check it out."

"Okay…" Jeff said. "So where do you plan to go? Are you going to gather information from the older students?"

"I already did that," Tony said. "The truth should be in the staff archives."

"Um, Tony?" Jeff asked. "Isn't that place for staff only?"

"Yeah," Tony replied. "So we have to sneak in."

 _Divine Rulers,_ Jeff thought. _He's serious about this!_

"What if we get caught?" Jeff asked.

"Easy. We don't."

Jeff fidgeted with his glasses. He _hated_ breaking rules.

"Don't pretend like you're not interested," Tony said. "I know that this will bug you to no end if you weasel out of this opportunity."

 _He knows me too well,_ Jeff thought.

"So assuming that I do decide to go with you, which I _haven't,_ " Jeff said, "What's the plan?"

"We wait until midnight and sneak in."

Jeff released a sigh. _Of course_ Tony didn't have a plan.

"What if there's someone guarding it?" Jeff asked.

"We take those devices of yours that give x-ray vision and super hearing."

"There will be psionic enchantments protecting the room," Jeff said.

"We bring your device that detects those enchantments," Tony said. "If we see one, we turn back."

"Okay…" Jeff said. "What if the door's locked?"

"Huh," Tony said, looking up to the ceiling. "I hadn't thought of that."

Jeff slammed a palm into his face.

"Tony," Jeff said. "How can you _not_ plan for that?"

"I prefer to improvise," Tony replied with a smirk. "But don't you have a psionic lock pick or something like that?"

Jeff didn't respond. He _did_ have one, but he didn't want to use it to actually sneak anywhere!

"I thought so," Tony said, interpreting Jeff's silence correctly. "See? Everything's covered. What do you say? Are you on board?"

 _No,_ Jeff thought. But looking at Tony's excited face, he couldn't just _say_ that.

"I… guess," he said.

"Great!" Tony exclaimed. "See you at midnight."

 _Just what did I get myself into?_ Jeff wondered.

* * *

"Geez," Tony whispered as the two of them were walking through the halls during the night. "Can you make any more noise when you walk?"

Jeff sighed.

"This wasn't my idea," he reminded his friend.

"I'm just teasing," Tony said with a smirk. "Lighten up. But hey, it's kind of crazy that Ceres has the exact same 24-hour cycle as Earth, huh?"

"I think that psions altered the planet's rotation to match Earth's," Jeff whispered. "Now would you _please_ stop talking?"

"No."

Jeff sighed again as he continued walking down the hall. At this hour, the view in front of him appeared murky as a result of the lack of light. He could see about 20 feet in front of him, but no more than that. Jeff squinted, barely able to make out the passageway into the staff's quarters. Unlike in Jeff's boarding school back in Winters, staff as well as students lived on campus. Jeff and Tony turned into the staff's quarters, trying to make as little sound as possible. The archives lay at the far end of the corridor, meaning that Jeff and Tony had quite the distance to walk. Additionally, they started to hear voices as they progressed down the hallway.

"Jeffster," Tony whispered, his voice turning hard. "Put on your super hearing thingy. See what they're talking about."

Jeff nodded, taking out what looked like a pair of earmuffs and putting them on. He could now hear the conversation perfectly.

"Fancy meeting you at this hour, Juno."

 _That's Mr. Agerate's voice!_ Jeff thought. _What's he doing?_

"How did you find me, Apollo? Oh wait, you don't need light to see. Sometimes, I forget. Silly me!"

 _A woman's voice…_ Jeff thought. _I don't recognize it._

While her words were sweet, something about the way that she spoke made the hair on the back of Jeff's neck stand on end. Her voice sounded fake, somehow.

"Yes," Mr. Agerate said. "I have excellent night vision."

"Of course," the woman replied. "Night vision. _That's_ it."

 _She thinks that he's detecting her some other way,_ Jeff thought. _But how?_

"Juno," Mr. Agerate said, seeming exhausted. "I need an answer. Do you know a girl named Paula?"

 _What?_ Jeff thought, craning in to listen more closely even though he knew that it wouldn't make a difference.

"I told you, Apollo," Juno replied with a creepy giggle. "I don't know anyone by that name."

"We're alone," Mr. Agerate said. "You can tell me, Juno. This isn't a trap."

"I seriously don't know anyone by that name," Juno replied with an exaggerated sigh. "Why do you care so much about her, anyway? Who is she?"

"An emotionally scarred young woman," Mr. Agerate said.

"Oh, so you think that…" Juno trailed off. "No, I didn't do anything to her. I've never met her. If I were lying, you could probably tell."

"I… suppose that I could," Mr. Agerate conceded, although he didn't sound happy. "But who caused her condition, then?"

"People do earn scars in other ways, Apollo."

"This is different," Mr. Agerate said. "She seems to have false memories about a certain boy in my class. She's terrified of him, even though they were best friends."

"You read too much into that," Juno said. "Teenage girls are drama queens. She's probably pretending."

"I can tell that she's sincere."

"Ah, right. I keep forgetting…"

"So you have no knowledge of something like that? Something commonplace that could twist someone's memories?"

"Nothing."

Mr. Agerate sighed.

"You seem to tell the truth," he said. "But that still raises the question of who altered her memory."

"Why so drastic?" Juno asked. "Perhaps the boy did something to cause her anguish and forgot about it. You know how boys get."

"I don't think that's it…" Mr. Agerate trailed off.

"You trust people too much, Apollo," she said. "Or maybe you trust them too little, so you feel like you have to find the truth with your piercing eyes. Either way, it is a fault."

 _Piercing eyes?_ Jeff thought.

"I have many faults, but that is not one of them," Mr. Agerate replied.

"I don't suppose that we will agree on this issue," Juno said. "So I guess that we should just drop it."

"All right. You should get some sleep. Good night, Juno."

"I find it amusing that _you_ lecture _me_ about health. Good night, sleep tight; don't let your secrets bite."

Jeff took off the psionic device and his hearing went back to normal, not knowing what to make of the conversation.

"Who is it?" Tony asked.

"Mr. Agerate and a woman who I didn't recognize," Jeff answered.

"Wait," Tony whispered. "I can hear more talking. Put the earmuffs back on."

 _They're not earmuffs!_ Jeff thought, but complied with the request. He could once again hear the conversation as if he were listening from ten feet away.

"You can't hide forever, Agerate. I'll get dirt on you eventually."

 _That's Pokey's father!_ Jeff thought. _What's he talking about?_

"I don't know what you mean, Aloysius," Mr. Agerate replied.

"Don't act innocent," Mr. Minch hissed. "Strange things have been happening ever since you came to this school last year."

 _Mr. Agerate only became a teacher last year?_ Jeff thought.

"Ah yes, because correlation always implies causation, no?" Mr. Agerate asked sarcastically.

"I _know_ that you're behind it," Mr. Minch said. "I just need to find proof. Murdering another teacher is serious enough that I will _never_ stop my investigation."

 _W-What?_ Jeff thought. _Mr. Agerate… murdered a teacher? So Tony's rumor was true?_

"Let me know the next time that you have something other than threats to sling at me," Mr. Agerate said coolly.

 _He didn't actually kill someone,_ Jeff thought. _Right?_

"The Gate to Prosperity shut down a few hours ago," Mr. Minch said. "I know that you have something to do with that."

"Wait, WHAT?" Mr. Agerate asked in an uncharacteristic state of panic. "The Gate stopped functioning?"

"Yes…"

"I need to leave now. Have a good night, Aloysius."

Jeff took off his device.

"Your rumor is true," Jeff said, "At least, according to Mr. Minch. He thinks that Mr. Agerate's the killer."

Tony's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"Not _him!_ He wouldn't…"

"Remember, this is Mr. Minch we're talking about," Jeff said.

"Yeah," Tony replied, sounding calmer. "He's just jumping to conclusions. Mr. Agerate wouldn't kill anyone."

"And he also seemed alarmed when Mr. Minch told him that the Gate stopped working," Jeff said. "I think that he left."

"Let's follow him!" Tony exclaimed softly.

"I knew that you would say that," came a voice from the darkness.

Mr. Agerate came striding out, his normally calm face looking stressed.

"Uh… hi?" Tony said, flashing an embarrassed smile.

"It is generally impolite to listen to other people's conversations," Mr. Agerate said. "I should send you back to your rooms… but like you said, you would just follow me. I suppose that I should let you stick with me for now."

 _How did he hear us?_ Jeff wondered. _We were talking quietly…_

"Err… thanks," Tony said.

"Now," Mr. Agerate said. "We're heading over to the Gate. I hope that Mr. Minch was wrong, but if he wasn't…" he trailed off, leaving the dark hallway in an awkward state of silence.

"If he wasn't, then what?" Jeff asked.

Mr. Agerate sighed.

"Then the starmen may attack us," he said. "Historically, that's what's happened. The Gate doesn't just fail on its own. Something else causes it, and the starmen are the only ones powerful enough to disrupt the Gate's psychotechnology."

A chill ran down Jeff's spine. A starman attack… it was something that mothers used to instill fear into naughty children. They always said that starmen would kidnap the bad children. Jeff didn't think that an attack would actually happen, not to _him._ He looked over to Tony, who seemed just as terrified as Jeff.

"Still want to follow me?" Mr. Agerate asked. "You can always hide in the special shelter that we have. You will be safe there."

Jeff looked over to Tony, who slowly nodded.

"I'm going with you," he whispered.

"I'm going with you too, even though it's probably stupid," Jeff added. "I want to see the truth."

Mr. Agerate nodded, seeming unsurprised.

"Let's go," he said softly, and then took off.

 _I hope that Mr. Agerate is wrong about the starmen,_ Jeff thought. _But what if he isn't?_

That possibility hung unspoken in the air, refusing to leave him alone as he followed Mr. Agerate out of the school.

* * *

After a few minutes of power walking, Jeff started to fall behind Tony and Mr. Agerate, both of whom were in shape. He started panting as he felt sweat trickle down his face. Jeff hated sweat. It made him feel dirty.

He looked up at the sky, seeing a full, blood-red moon that blanketed all of Ceres in a dull, crimson glow. Under the deathly red light that the moon reflected, everything appeared lifeless and withered.

That is, everything _except_ for anything the color red.

Jeff shivered. He didn't believe in omens, but the moon in the sky made the world before him appear scarier than Earth on Halloween. He scanned the dimly lit paths laid in stone. Red shadows danced in the distance, fueling Jeff's imagination.

 _Anything could be over there,_ Jeff thought. _Starmen or worse._

"Do you think that starmen would really attack us?" Jeff whispered to Tony.

"Nah," Tony said. "They have no reason to."

"They're aliens," Jeff said. "Maybe their minds work differently than ours."

"Think about it," Tony replied. "There hasn't been a starman attack in centuries, unless you believe the tabloids. Why attack now?"

"I don't know," Jeff answered. "I just can't help but worry when Mr. Agerate loses his calm. When someone like him panics, I feel like we should start running."

"Maybe we should," Tony said with an upbeat grin. "But we're a couple of dumb teenagers, so we won't."

"Almost there," Mr. Agerate whispered.

Jeff looked up at the massive tower extending into space, unable to contain his awe. Instead of shining its normal purple, the Gate carried the same dull red that blanketed the rest of the planet. However, under that sheet of red, it was completely transparent.

"The Gate looks creepy," Tony noted. "Almost like a haunted house. Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Mr. Agerate said. "The Gate is reinforced by a network of psionic energy. It seems that someone shut that energy off… which isn't good. The Gate isn't strong enough to stand on its own. It could come toppling on all of us, if left unchecked."

A chill ran down Jeff's spine. He imagined a tower that tall crashing down on the major city of Ceres, leaving only dust in its wake. A tower that tall could destroy enough architecture to warrant a global emergency.

"Luckily," Mr. Agerate said, "Ceres spins pretty quickly, which pushes the Gate outward. Centrifugal force should buy us a few more hours."

 _That's good,_ Jeff thought.

"Err… what?" Tony asked.

"I'll explain it to you later," Jeff whispered to him.

Soon, they arrived at the Gate to Prosperity. Jeff cringed whenever he looked at it, hoping that it would not come toppling down on him. Mr. Agerate entered, and Jeff hesitantly followed.

Jeff had forgotten how large the Gate was until he stood inside. Sure, it wasn't as big as Fourside's astroport, but he was used to seeing it as a thin tower in the distance. Jeff scanned the transparent walls that spanned football fields. He then looked in towards the center of the Gate, which was enclosed by more transparent walls. Nothing stirred under the judging light of Ceres' moon. It made the Gate feel empty… and haunted. Jeff shook his head, trying to calm his heart.

 _Nothing's wrong,_ he told himself. _That moon is normal for Ceres. It just makes the ground and walls look a little red, that's all…_

"Follow me," Mr. Agerate whispered, leading Jeff and Tony into a small room.

The first thing that Jeff spotted once inside was a knifelike object sticking into one of the walls. Luminous purple cracks surrounded the knife, strangely ordered in a hexagonal pattern. It was as if the wall itself was bleeding. Two people were huddled up next to the knife, examining it closely.

"Hello," Mr. Agerate said, walking up to them.

One of the people stood up, facing Mr. Agerate. She possessed long, blond hair, and her eyes appeared blank as they radiated light like a lightbulb, illuminating the area in front of her.

 _A psion…_ Jeff thought. _She used a power that emits light from her eyes._

Those pure, white eyes almost made her look like a zombie, yet something about her posture made her seem to vivacious to belong to someone of the dead. She offered a businesslike smile.

"Greetings, she told Mr. Agerate, her voice stern but friendly. "As you can see, we are currently working on fixing something important."

"I think that I may be able to help, Ms. Aniah," Mr. Agerate said. "My name is Apollo Agerate, and I think that I know what that device is."

The other person examining the knife started laughing. His laughter sounded so condescending that it was physically painful for Jeff to listen to. Jeff wanted to punch this man in the face, whoever he was…

"Who do you think that you are?" the man asked. "This is technology beyond…"

"Think before you speak, Roland," the woman cut him off. "If you had examined Mr. Agerate, you would have noticed a surprisingly well-crafted mind shield. He's clearly a powerful psion… or another type of psionics-user."

 _Wait, what?_ Jeff thought. _Since when can Mr. Agerate use psionics? Only the higher-level teachers are supposed to be psions._

"But I don't recognize you," the man, who was apparently called Roland, told Mr. Agerate. "And I know all of the powerful psions on Ceres."

"I prefer not to flaunt my powers," Mr. Agerate said. "Now, would you let me examine that device? I have experience with starman technology."

Ms. Aniah raised an eyebrow.

"That's a rather obscure skill," she noted. "But sure, go ahead. It's not like we've made any progress."

 _What on Ceres is going on?_ Jeff wondered, feeling hopelessly lost.

"Megan!" the man exclaimed. "We can't trust this man! He probably will just waste our time."

"If we could do this by ourselves, then he wouldn't need to interfere," Ms. Aniah replied. "Now please, be quiet while this man tries to do what we cannot."

Jeff tried to read the situation. Mr. Agerate seemed to know who Ms. Aniah was, but not the other way around. It appeared that both of them and the other man were psions, but Jeff couldn't tell for sure. He looked at Tony, who only offered a confused shrug.

Mr. Agerate walked up to the knifelike device, closing his eyes as he mouthed words that Jeff couldn't make out. After a few minutes of seemingly doing nothing, the device fell out on its own. The walls dropped their red glow and once again shone purple. Ms. Aniah looked surprised. Roland looked completely stupefied.

"Thank you," Ms. Aniah said, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "How did you do…" she trailed off as all three psions looked outside in alarm. "Starmen."

Jeff once again felt a chilling sense of fear rush through his veins. He wanted to say something, _anything,_ but the prospect of starmen coming after him froze him in place.

"They must have noticed that we disabled their little toy," Mr. Agerate said. "Maybe if we retreat quickly…"

"Retreat?" Roland asked. "We should fight!"

"Not with two children in tow," Ms. Aniah said, looking Jeff and Tony in the eyes. "I know how you fight, Roland. It hurts the land more than it does your enemies."

 _Children?_ Jeff thought. _I'm hardly a child at age 15._

"I shall take my leave and escort these students to the anti-PSI bunker," Mr. Agerate said.

"What were you thinking, bringing two children here?" Roland demanded, seeming appalled. "This is serious business!"

"And students have the capacity to understand serious issues," Mr. Agerate said. "Goodbye."

He left the building, Jeff and Tony following closely behind. Jeff felt unnerved by Mr. Agerate's conversation with the psions, and the prospect of a starman attack didn't help.

"Ms. Aniah is an important woman," Mr. Agerate explained. "She holds a central government position. She also happens to be Ana's mother. I didn't recognize the man, though."

Tony and Jeff stared at Mr. Agerate blankly.

"…Really?" Jeff asked. "Ana's mother is that important?"

"Yeah," Mr. Agerate said with a light smile. "I expected Ana to be sheltered and bratty, but she's surprisingly aware of what goes on in this universe. Perhaps even more than I…"

Mr. Agerate cut his sentence off as three starmen appeared in front of them. Their skin looked sleek and metallic. Jeff had read that starmen were organic creatures, but in that moment he could have sworn that he heard gears grinding inside of their hollow bodies. But what was scariest about the starmen was the complete lack of emotion in their body language. They didn't have eyes, noses, mouths… or hearts. They only possessed geometric dark spots on their chest and face. Like everything, they looked slightly withered under the moon's red glare. Jeff let out a yelp, feeling his heart pound in his chest.

 _Starmen attacks…_ Jeff thought in disbelief. _They're supposed to be stories to scare children! I never thought that they were real! …Is this real?_

"Hello, forsaken one," one of the starmen rasped mechanically, although Jeff didn't know how it made sound. "I assume that it was you who disabled our device?"

Mr. Agerate smiled coldly.

"What brings you here?" he asked. "Surely you know the price of this visit."

"We do not think that the president will follow through with her threat," the starman said. "It would leave her with no more leverage on us."

Mr. Agerate laughed mirthfully.

"You don't know her half as well as you think that you do," he replied, wagging his finger.

 _I'm still so confused…_ Jeff thought. _Since when does Mr. Agerate know Minerva Carpainter so well? Since when does he know the_ starmen _so well?_

"You lie," the starman said. "Now… I shall put you out of your misery, forsaken one. Would you like that?"

"Come at me!" Mr. Agerate spat.

Suddenly, Jeff felt himself being lifted up into the air, even though nothing was touching him. He turned to look at Tony, who also floated above the ground. Jeff tried to move his limbs and found them locked in place. Fear gripped his heart as a starmen teleported right in front of him. Jeff felt the starman's tentacle-like hand touch his face and was surprised at how cold it felt.

"You seem to care about these two," the starman told Mr. Agerate. "And now we hold a… what do you humans call it? We hold a sword to their heads. You humans do die when we remove your heads, yes?"

Mr. Agerate gritted his teeth. Jeff tried to struggle and slip free, but he couldn't resist the invisible chains that bound him in place. Mr. Agerate shot a melancholy glance at him.

"What is your move, forsaken one?" the starman asked.

"Null psionics field," Mr. Agerate said.

Suddenly, Jeff and Tony fell to the ground. Jeff felt himself being scooped up by Mr. Agerate. The teacher ran forward faster than Jeff could believe. The wind whipped in his face as Jeff registered that Mr. Agerate was taking him away…

"Teleport!" Mr. Agerate exclaimed.

The world swirled around Jeff. After a few seconds, he found himself standing in a hallway, right outside of a room that he didn't recognize. He released a sigh of relief when confronted with the familiar walls of the school with their rainbow swirls of color.

 _I'm back at school,_ Jeff thought. _I'm back home._

"What… did you do?" Tony asked.

"I created a field where psionics didn't work," Mr. Agerate said softly, "Which broke the starman's enchantment that held two in place. I then ran out of that zone and teleported you two to safety. In the door behind you is a room with the same kind of field, meaning that starmen cannot reach you there. I would strongly advise staying in there. I shall alert the rest of the staff to order an emergency and then go back and combat some of the starmen."

"Will you be okay?" Jeff asked.

Mr. Agerate shot him a sad smile.

"I think so, but the world wouldn't lose much if I died out there. Please, don't worry about me. Or if you have to, please respect my decision to fight for what I care about."

"We want to help too," Tony said, the determination in his voice surprising both Jeff and Mr. Agerate.

 _Err… we do?_ Jeff thought.

"Are you certain?" Mr. Agerate asked. "Those starmen back there could have quashed your brains if they wanted to. Since you don't have a psionic aura, any starman that wants you dead will find no difficulty killing you."

"Tell me truthfully," Tony said. "Will the starmen kill us on sight?"

"…No," Mr. Agerate said. "In fact, most of them will ignore you. Starmen are a proud race, and they consider those without PSI to be nonfactors."

"Great," Tony said. "Jeff, do you want to come with me?"

"What will we do?" Jeff asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "Neither of us can fight, Tony! Well, you can fight, but you most _certainly_ cannot take on a starman!"

"We'll find something," Tony replied. "People to save. Starmen to distract. This is our time to really make a difference, Jeff."

 _I really don't want to do this…_ Jeff thought.

"Make your own decisions, Jeff," Mr. Agerate said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just because Tony wants to rush into the site of conflict doesn't mean that you need to."

Jeff sighed.

"I'll go with you, Tony," he said. "I don't want to, but it _is_ the right thing to do. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Agerate. I'm not going because Tony is pressuring me; I'm going because I know that he's right."

Mr. Agerate flashed a tired smile.

"I assume that me pointing out that you two are acting rather foolish won't dissuade you?" he asked.

"Not a chance!" Tony exclaimed with a triumphant smile.

"All right," Mr. Agerate said with a chuckle, turning around. "Be careful out there. Remember exactly what you have to lose."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

"There's so much that both of you can do to help this world," Mr. Agerate said. "And you have all of the time you need to make a difference. The entire world will mourn your loss if you die now."

With that, he walked away, leaving Tony and Jeff alone in the dark passage.


	15. Chapter 14: Dynaldas

**Hey, happy Monday (said nobody ever)! :D I finally got the hang of putting my contacts in and out, but it was super uncomfortable/painful. As my body gets older, it gets stronger and becomes less sensitive to pain... in every location except for the eyes. I don't think I've cried as much as I did today in years (not counting the other appointments when I tried to put them in). I really had the pain tolerance of a child in that moment. Last time I went in, I could barely keep myself from swearing in front of a couple of little kids. D:**

 **And nobody ever told me that college apps required so much useless information! How much AP credit do I have? More than any college in its right mind will accept. Do I really have to count it all up? DX I don't even know how to spell my middle name. And then there are the scholarships that I have to apply to... better procrastinate those. And then I have to get a recommendation from my counselor, who I don't even know (or have ever seen, for that matter). At least my parents are still around to help me with it.**

 **Ah, sorry about that rant. :) In the next few chapters, the POV is going to jump around a lot. It happens in a scene that's supposed to be fast-paced. And I'm leaving this chapter off on the first cliffhanger of this story. ;D Now that I have an event that stretches for more than one chapter, I can do that.**

 **As always, thanks for your support! I understand that my writing is super philosophical and not all that exciting, so I really appreciate you sticking with me. Hopefully,** ** _something_** **in this story will catch you with the feels.**

 **...I can't believe it's only Monday. D:**

 **Review Responses:**

 **A Fan:** **Yeah, the last chapter was over 5k words, which is longer than most. I do know what you mean about it feeling short, though. Yeah, Jeff buys/makes the device off of the money that the school gives him. His family is also pretty well-off, so he can afford expensive gadgets.**

 **The Deus ex Agerate, huh? xD Yep, those four options cover pretty much everything. Let's see which one it is. ;) Fair warning, though: it will take a while for him to do something super important. The final battle is coming up in a** ** _long_** **time. That goes for his relationship with the starmen as well. And thanks for the catch! That was like a double error haha.**

 **Jeff doesn't have any weapons. I might explain this later, but he really doesn't care for blowing stuff up. And as for Jeff and Tony... we'll see! :) I find that plot-heavy chapters are the hardest to write about because they're just... there. There's not much to say. Does that make any sense at all? xD I've never played Xenoblade Chronicles, so I plead the fifth.**

 **DarkFoxKit:** **Yeah, I'm kind of a sucker for when characters are insecure too, and I like it even more if they do stuff to cover their insecurity up. That way, you think that they're just a jerk, and then the revelation comes that they're actually insecure. And like I said above, I don't plan to resolve Mr. Agerate's character anytime soon. Jeff and Tony aren't in this chapter, sadly. :( They weren't planned to be in the next chapter either, but I'm pretty sure that I slipped one of their scenes in.**

 **adricarra:** **Yep, as someone like Jeff myself, it gets really annoying when that happens. xD Seriously, I hate breaking rules more than is entirely healthy. And yeah, Mr. Agerate is pretty powerful... more on that later. I like how you said "the starmen are attacking us" like you're in the school with my characters. xD That would be pretty cool... but I would also worry for your safety. D:**

 **Phoesong:** **I got the mothers scaring children with starman attack thing from the** **Wheel of Time** **. In that series, thirteen dark mages have been sealed away for thousands of years and have become fuel for mothers to scare children. And then they wake up and nobody except for the main characters believe that they really exist. That mechanic is cool but gets old after seven or eight books, at which point I want to slap the characters that don't believe the truth. xD**

 **I** ** _think_** **that I have everything about the victim planned out (this story is so big that I sometimes just forget about large chunks of it). xD And as for the school's purpose... I can say that part of it is just to educate and train psions. During the empire, all psions were nobles and all nobles were psions, meaning that psions were expected to act... sophisticated. Some of that bias has carried down (it's only 80 years later, after all!).**

 **Thanks! :) And yeah, I was hoping that the assassin coming after Ninten would be mysterious. And that mystery continues this chapter! :D And yeah, we haven't heard what his father does (honestly, I'm still not sure xD).**

* * *

 _Hope is a necessary evil in this universe. It mocks me and taunts me, but it keeps me trudging along. I need hope. Nobody cares about me, so I must live for myself rather than for others. While parents may slave away at the factories for 90 hours a week to keep their children fed, I have nobody else to keep me going._

 _So what happens when I feel hopeless? I know that I should try to make a difference, but I simply… can't._

* * *

Ninten ran forward, squinting as he tried to make out the figures in the red, moonlit distance. They couldn't be… starmen, could they? Ninten shook his head. The starmen wouldn't attack. There was nothing for them on Ceres.

 _But then why did the Gate stop glowing and recently start again?_ Ninten wondered. _And why do those figures have psionic powers that are different from the ones of most psions that I've detected?_

Ninten gritted his teeth. He couldn't afford to _think,_ not now. he closed his eyes, picturing a golden throne surrounded by massive, purple crystals. He focused all of his anger on that one throne as he walked mechanically forward. He didn't allow himself to think about anything else.

What must have been minutes later, Ninten exited his trance as he saw Mr. Agerate carrying Jeff and Tony. The teacher wore a look of grim determination that alarmed Ninten. Mr. Agerate always looked so calm…

Dynaldas alerted Ninten to three starmen nearby. He cursed, wondering why he hadn't picked up on them earlier. It was almost as if there had been something blocking Dynaldas' psionic power. The jewel-hilted knife burned now in his pocket.

 _I psyching know that there are starmen nearby!_ he shouted mentally at Dynaldas. _Stop telling me!_

"Teleport," Ninten heard.

He saw Mr. Agerate disappear from sight, along with Jeff and Tony.

"The forsaken one escaped," one of the starmen rasped. "But more psions are coming. We should kill them."

Something about the starman's emotionless tone disturbed Ninten. He didn't have time to think further, though, as Dynaldas alerted him to a starman teleporting right behind him. Instinctively, Ninten jumped sideways, twisting his body so that he would land facing towards the alien. A laser beam grazed his side as he took off.

 _Close…_ Ninten thought. _Too close! I can't afford to act sloppy like this._

Ninten looked at the starman. He had seen these creatures before, but he knew that he would never stop feeling afraid of them. Ninten hated everything about them: the rigid way that they walked, their lifeless color combination of grey and black, their sleek look, and the mechanical way that they talked. The harsh, red moonlight didn't make them appear any prettier.

"This one is tougher than anticipated," the starman said.

 _Just you wait!_ Ninten thought, spitting in the starman's direction.

He charged forward. The starman shot another beam at him, hitting Ninten square in the chest and inflicting enough damage to kill him. However, Ninten's psionic stall gave him a few precious seconds to act.

Ninten whipped out Dynaldas, feeling surprised at how _full_ the jeweled hilt looked.

 _The red light,_ Ninten realized. _Under a pure red light, all non-red objects appear as shades of red, with full colors seeming black. In this partially red light, non-red objects seem darker and less vibrant, with makes red objects look bright by comparison. I guess it's fitting that blood shines brightly on this day._

Ninten drove the knife into the starman. He pressed the ruby on the hilt, causing the jewel to pale. It was as if the color itself was flowing into the starman's body.

Which, as Ninten knew quite well, wasn't too far from the truth.

"Have a nice sleep," Ninten whispered.

The starman started flailing wildly. Ninten took this opportunity to heal himself as the starman desperately tried to pull the knife out of its body. However, its PSI didn't work and its tentacles didn't allow it to grasp the knife's hilt effectively. This was going just like Ninten's father said that it would. That made Ninten feel both relieved and angry, relieved that he would live and angry that his father was once again right. Eventually, the starman stopped moving and fell to the ground. Dynaldas' jewel started to withdraw its color, reverting back to its crimson self within seconds.

 _Killed by the power of human emotion,_ Ninten thought with a chuckle. _It's like something from a children's book._

As he went to retrieve Dynaldas, a laser beam hit him in the back. Ninten cursed, knowing that there was another starman behind him. He healed himself once more and wrenched Dynaldas out of the dead starman's body. He could once again detect psionic auras. The knife of power told Ninten that _two_ starmen stood behind him. He turned around, hoping that Dynaldas had made a mistake.

It hadn't.

 _How do I fight two starmen?_ Ninten wondered, trying to stay calm. _I don't even have the surprise advantage this time._

Right as Ninten was about to bolt, a horde of rainbow-colored hexagons latched themselves onto the starmen and exploded violently, sending vibrations through the earth (or the Ceres, Ninten supposed). Ninten looked over to the starmen and saw only messy remains. It appeared that the aliens did have organs after all, and Ninten found them smeared on the ground. He felt a bit nauseous, but managed to avoid throwing up.

"Ninten!" A voice from the distance spoke. "Long time no see!"

Ninten knew that voice. He ran towards the source and found himself confronted with Megan Aniah, Ana's mother. She had Ana's blond hair and deep blue eyes. In fact, she looked like Ana in pretty much every possible regard, including her energetic yet relaxed pose that could put a hardened criminal at ease. Beside her stood a man who Ninten didn't recognize. He didn't stand out when placed next to someone as vibrant as Ana's mother.

"Thanks, Megan," Ninten said. "You really saved my ass there."

"Do you know who you're talking to?" the man asked, seeming appalled.

"Um, yeah," Ninten answered. "How else would I know her name?"

The man walked up and shoved a finger in Ninten's face.

"Don't be a smartass, kid."

 _Get your finger out of my face!_ Ninten almost shouted.

"Roland," Megan said in disapproval. "That's quite rude."

Ninten smiled as the man looked even more appalled.

"Megan!" he exclaimed. "Did you hear what vocabulary he just used while addressing you?"

"You mean when he said that I saved his ass?" she asked. "Well, you used the same word while talking to him. I'm not sure, but wouldn't that make you a hypocrite?"

Roland blushed.

"I wasn't addressing the…"

"My position doesn't matter that much," Megan said, rolling her eyes. "Ninten is my daughter's friend. We know each other quite well."

"I see that you're as awesome as always," Ninten said.

"Thanks," Megan said with a smile that warmed Ninten's heart. "But with your parents, I don't have to be that good to seem awesome. I didn't know that you were here on Ceres, though! My husband does most of the boring bookkeeping stuff, so he probably knows. I wonder why neither he nor Ana told me."

"Err…" Ninten said. "As much as I enjoy talking with you, we are in the middle of a starman attack. We should probably focus on that."

Megan laughed.

"You're probably right. Too bad I don't have more time to annoy you with adult talk. You _have_ grown so much since we've last met, though. Adieu!"

With that, she and Roland disappeared, presumably teleporting to another place.

 _Did she have to throw in the part about how much I've grown?_ Ninten thought. _She knows how much that annoys me… which I guess was the point._

Ninten shook his head. Where should he go now?

 _The school,_ he realized. _I should get back to the school and alert everyone. Mr. Agerate probably did already, but it can't hurt to make sure that everyone is safe._

Ninten released a sigh as he took off running. It would be another long day for him.

 _I never thought that my midnight stroll would turn into this,_ he thought. _I guess a little peace and quiet at the end of the day is too much to ask for._

* * *

Ness had awoken just minutes earlier to the sound of alarms, not knowing why. After changing into regular clothes, he ran out of his room and into the school hallways. He looked out the window and saw a field of dull, red moonlight illuminating the grass.

 _Creepy,_ he thought. _I've heard of Ceres' red moon before, but seeing it for myself is something else._

While not particularly superstitious, Ness tended to worry a lot in general. Seeing how _different_ the world looked under the red moon made him feel uncomfortable.

 _I need to find out what's going on here…_ his thoughts trailed off as he spotted someone who he knew.

"Ana!" Ness shouted, running up to her. "What's going on?"

"Starman attack," Ana explained. "Most of the students are in the bunker already. You're a deep sleeper, it seems. The alarms have been ringing for several minutes now."

 _A starman attack?_ Ness thought. _She's kidding, right?_

"Bunker?" Ness asked.

"Yeah. It's enchanted so that psionics don't work there, which renders starmen harmless."

"You're serious about the starmen, aren't you?" Ness asked.

Ana nodded.

 _Divine Rulers!_ Ness thought. _Is this real life? Everyone knows that starmen attacks are children's tales._

"You should get to the bunker," Ana said. "You'll be safe there."

"Why aren't you there?" Ness asked.

"Oh, me?" Ana blushed. "I… err… I'm looking for Paula."

Ness' eyes shot wide open.

"Paula?" he asked in horror. "She's not in the bunker?"

"Correct," Ana said, her sad voice sapping some of Ness' determination. "I have no idea where she is."

"We need to find her!" Ness exclaimed.

"Ness…" Ana said. "It's too dangerous for you. I have psionics that can deal with starmen, but I don't think that you do."

"Ana, please!" Ness exclaimed, feeling the walls around him closing in. "Don't… don't make me go to safety! I need to make sure that Paula's okay."

Ana's eyes widened slightly, which was more of a reaction than she usually showed.

"Well, I can't _make_ you do anything," she said, "And I can see how much this means to you. Just stay close to me, all right?"

Ness nodded. In fact, he preferred to follow people around. Ness hated making decisions out of fear that he would make the wrong one, so he resorted to clinging onto someone who could decide for him. At home, it was his mom. Now, it was Ana.

Still, Ness couldn't help but feel guilty that he made Ana do everything for him. She was strong an independent, even in a culture where girls weren't really supposed to be. Surely Ness could at least go even with her, right?

That was what he always thought, but he couldn't help but freeze when faced with making a choice on his own.

 _I didn't always act this way,_ Ness thought. _But after seeing the consequences of a wrong decision…_ Ness shivered.

He frantically followed Ana around, not even bothering to work out where he was going. After a few minutes, Ana's eyes lit up.

"I detect a psionic aura nearby," she whispered. "It could be Paula, but it could also be a starman."

"We have to check it!" Ness exclaimed, not able to bear the thought of turning back.

"Of course," Ana said with a confident smile. "But if you see a starman, you have to _run._ All right?"

Ness didn't want to take the cowardly option, but he couldn't just say _no_ to Ana, not after all that she'd done for him.

"…All right," Ness said.

Ana looked at him sadly.

"Ness," she said. "You can tell me when you're not happy with what I say. I promise that I'll listen."

"I just… don't want to cause you any more trouble for you," Ness said with a sigh.

"Please don't worry about that," Ana said. "If standing your ground really means that much to you, then go for it. I would not recommend it, though. Starmen try to attack the weakest psions first."

Ness nodded, not questioning how Ana knew that. He supposed that he probably _should_ run if he saw a starman… as cowardly as that was.

Ana and Ness took off, jogging through the hallways, supposedly going towards the source of the aura. Before long, Ness started to struggle. He panted heavily, feeling sweat trickle down his face as he tried to push himself forward. Ness felt even worse about his exhaustion upon realizing that Ana didn't seem tired at all.

After what felt like hours but must have only been seconds, Ness spotted Paula walking down the hall. She was looking at the ground, staggering as she took each step. In the red light streaming through the window, Ness could almost imagine himself in a zombie apocalypse. Paula looked so _lifeless…_ Ness wanted to run forward and embrace her, but he knew that would only make her feel worse.

"Paula!" he exclaimed, not able to restrain himself from speaking. "You're okay!"

Paula looked up, her azure eyes shining with surprise.

"Ness," she whispered in relief. "Ana."

 _She doesn't seem terrified of me!_ Ness thought. He wanted to jump for joy.

"Paula," Ana said, walking up to her with one of her radiant smiles. "I know that this is hard for you, but would you mind staying with Ness? I need to search for Jeff and Tony."

"They're not here either?" Ness asked.

Ana bit her lip.

"Yeah. They shouldn't be in danger because starmen usually target psions, but I want to make sure. Paula, can you stay here and protect Ness if he needs it?"

"…Yeah," Paula whispered.

Ness felt irked that _he_ was the one who needed to be protected, but he said nothing. Ana ran back down the hall faster than Ness could believe.

"Did I worry you, Ness?" Paula asked, her eyes racked with guilt.

"I… uh… no!" Ness lied. "Not at all!"

"I did," she whispered, staring down at her feet. "And I treated you horribly this entire year. I'm a horrible person. I'm sorry, Ness."

"You're not a horrible person!" Ness exclaimed.

 _Man, she puts my self-esteem issues to shame,_ he thought.

"Yes I am," Paula said, her voice sounded depressed enough to make Ness worried. "I'm a horrible person who's done horrible things."

"Paula…" Ness said. "You're wonderful!"

"You don't have to lie," Paula replied with a deflated sigh. "I know how much pain I've caused. I just feel so _weak,_ like I can't control anything in my life. I'm sorry, Ness. I treated you like a monster. I _still_ treat you like a monster, even though I know that you're not one."

Ness put a hand on Paula's shoulder. She flinched back, her face showing untainted pain. Ness removed his hand in horror, feeling his heart sink into his stomach.

"See?" Paula asked, tears coming to her eyes. "You act so kind and yet I… I make you feel awful!"

Ness still wondered what Paula had been doing outside of the bunker and why she felt afraid of him in the first place, but he didn't think that she could manage to answer either of those questions at the moment.

"Let's just go to the bunker, all right?" Ness asked. "The starmen can't hurt us there."

More tears streamed from Paula's eyes, each one sending an arrow into Ness' heart. He hated seeing her in pain like this.

"Okay," she said. "I probably deserve to die, but since you care about me, I'll try to stay alive."

 _Divine rulers!_ Ness swore in his head. _This is serious! I need to talk to Ana._

* * *

Ninten ran up the moonlit path, the school lying tantalizingly out of reach. Nobody walked on the streets of Ceres tonight. At least, nobody except for starmen and psions. As Ninten ran up to the front door of the school, he got the feeling that something was wrong. He skidded to a halt, looking around frantically. He was glad that he did.

The cloaked man lay waiting off the side of the road, almost perfectly camouflaged in the night.

 _Thank goodness for my 20/20 vision!_ Ninten thought.

"Inertial armor," he whispered. "Call weapon."

Armor made of psionic energy surrounded Ninten, cloaking him in a translucent, green barrier. Ninten was still amazed at how that stuff hardly weighed anything at all. A long, skinny sword appeared in his right hand. He still felt naked without a shield, but there wasn't much that he could do about that at the moment.

The cloaked figure walked towards Ninten, swaying gracefully in the wind. His footsteps didn't making a sound on the stone pavement.

"Who are you?" Ninten asked, pointing his sword at the figure. "And what do you want with me? I saw you on the day that I arrived at Ceres!"

"It is… presumptuous to assume that I came here for _you_ ," the figure said, his voice deep and bitter. "But you are right. My master requires you for his plan. I assume that you know him?"

A chill ran down Ninten's spine.

"You're an empirist?" he asked, walking forward aggressively.

"Yes."

"Stand out my way," Ninten hissed. "I won't hesitate to poke holes in you, if that's what it comes to."

The cloaked man only laughed.

"You do not realize how funny you are, Ninten. I have trained for combat my entire life."

"I have overpowered psychic abilities," Ninten replied cheekily.

"And how do you know that I don't?"

"I have a little friend in my pocket who whispers secrets to me."

"Ah right. Dynaldas. You do have the advantage in fancy toys, I must admit. But that won't matter if we fight. Now come along, or I'll make you."

"Nah," Ninten said, grabbing the door to the school and pulling on it.

It didn't budge.

"Of course the door is locked," the man said. "It wasn't even my doing. Don't you ever go through lock out drills in school? You can't get in. It's just you and me now."

"You don't scare me," Ninten said, shaking his head as he flashed a confident smile. "Not much scares me anymore."

The cloaked figure started laughing again. The level of mirth in his voice annoyed Ninten.

"Do you think that you've had it tough?" the man demanded. "Because trust me, others had it _much tougher._ "

 _This guy's starting to sound like Claus,_ Ninten thought. _It probably won't do much good to explain that he just uttered a logical fallacy in assuming that my life can't be bad just because his was worse._

"Why don't you reveal yourself?" Ninten asked. "You see my face. Now let me see yours."

 _If I can survive this, then I may need to track this guy down… and I can hardly do that if I don't even know what he looks like._

"Why not?" the man asked, and then flipped his hood back.

 _Wait, really?_

Ninten took a long stare at the man. His face looked unremarkable, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a light mustache. If Ninten had to put an age to that face, he would have guessed 25.

"What's your name?" Ninten asked.

"Duster," the man replied.

 _Yeah right,_ Ninten thought. _Nobody would actually name their kid that. At best, it's a code name. I guess that I didn't expect anything else, though… I should really pick up a fake name one of these days._

"So are you going to fight me?" Ninten asked.

"Only if you make me," Duster replied.

"I'm not making you do anything," Ninten said. "So if I just walk away, you won't attack me?"

Duster flashed a cold smile.

"You think that you're so smart, don't you?" he asked.

 _No,_ Ninten thought. _I'm dumb. You're just dumber._

"Why are you working for the empirists?" Ninten asked. "Certainly you don't _believe_ the lies that they utter."

"What do you think that you know about Minerva Carpainter?" Duster asked.

That question caught Ninten off guard.

"Not much," he replied. "I only see who she appears to be."

"At least you admit your ignorance," Duster said. "President Carpainter is a monster. Worse than her father, even. She embodies all elected rulers. She wants nothing but approval and doesn't actually care about doing what is right. Emperors don't require approval of the masses to run their empire."

"Read your history," Ninten said. "Most emperors are monsters as well."

"Better than Minerva Carpainter," Duster said.

 _Geez, he must have a serious bone to pick with that woman,_ Ninten thought.

"I don't think that I will convince you otherwise," Ninten said. "So, shall we fight?"

Duster nodded.

 _Do I really have to do this?_ Ninten thought, narrowing his eyes as adrenaline heightened his senses. _I don't suppose that I have a choice._

Ninten ran towards Duster, his sword held at his side. As he was closing in to strike, Duster's face tightened in concentration. He had clearly expected this. Panic flooding his systems, Ninten skidded to a halt.

 _Never play your opponent's game, if you can help it,_ Ninten heard in his father's rough voice.

"Not going to attack?" Duster asked. "Too scared of an unarmed man?"

 _Heh,_ Ninten thought. _He thinks that he can provoke me. That's cute._

"You have this planned out," Ninten said. "You _want_ me to attack, so I shouldn't."

Duster flashed a cold smile as he pulled out a pair of daggers.

 _Ah,_ Ninten thought. _He would try to evade my attack and retaliate with those knives of his._

"You don't want to attack a rogue head on," Duster said, "Even though you warriors and psions claim that we are nothing without our stealth. You must be a real coward if you fear facing me."

"Better a coward than a corpse," Ninten said. "I have the longer weapon, so why should I approach?"

"Well I sure as _hell_ am not going to charge at you," Duster said. "You'll just poke me with that rapier of yours.

 _This isn't a rapier!_ Ninten thought. _And "hell"? I've never heard that curse before… isn't it a religious thing? Ann would know._

"I guess we'll stand here until the starman attack subsides, then," Ninten said. "I'm fine with that."

 _Or until he decides to throw his daggers,_ he added mentally. _But the fact that he didn't try that from the start makes me question his skill with those blades._

Duster smiled as Dynaldas alerted Ninten to a starman teleporting right behind him.

"Psych!" Ninten muttered.

He leapt to the side, barely avoiding the firey explosion that engulfed the space where his chest used to be.

"Ah, how… fortunate that a starman decided to come," Duster said, still wearing his cold smile.

 _He's implying that he knew…_ Ninten thought. _It wouldn't surprise me if the empirists were working together with the starmen._

But that didn't matter right now. Ninten took a look at Duster's smug smile and noted his relaxed body position.

 _Never play your opponent's game, if you can help it._

Duster clearly expected Ninten to attack the starman. To thwart the rogue's plan, Ninten had to do something stupid.

He lunged at Duster. It only took a spit-second for the thief to adopt his combat stance, but that was all the time that Ninten needed. He buried his sword in Duster's knee, hearing the rogue scream in pain. Ninten then removed his sword and leapt back so that Duster couldn't take a swipe at him with one of his daggers. Confident that he had neutralized one foe, Ninten turned to face the starman. He didn't know why the starman hadn't taken an opportunity to fire a beam at him until he saw the blue force field surrounding the alien.

 _He put up a shield instead of attacking me,_ Ninten realized. _All the better for me. Dynaldas doesn't rely on physical damage to do its job._

Ninten ran at the starman, sword extended in front of him.

"Don't let him get close to you!" Duster shouted at the alien.

Ninten smiled secretly. He knew how these starmen worked. They could read his mind, but that gave them a false sense of security. Right now, he thought about stabbing the starman with his sword, keeping his plot with Dynaldas in the back of his head. If the starman tried to read his mind, it would assume that Ninten would attack with his sword, meaning that the starman's shield would absorb the bulk of the damage. To see the truth, the alien would have to delve deeper, and it simply didn't have the time for that.

However, Ninten hadn't accounted for Duster. In an instant, Ninten heard the sound of gas leaking and found himself coughing up fumes.

 _A smoke bomb…_ Ninten thought, tears blurring his vision.

He kept charging, his years of combat training allowing him to ignore the irritation in his lungs. But Ninten soon saw that the smoke bomb had another purpose: to limit his vision. Even now, his tears made everything in front of him appear like a messy watercolor painting.

 _Good thing that starmen stand out,_ Ninten thought, sprinting forward with his sword. _I can still stab it… I think._

At the last second, Ninten whipped Dynaldas out of its sheath in his pocket and thrust it at the surprised starman. The shield reduced the impact of the knife, but it didn't matter. Even with Ninten's teary vision, Dynaldas found its mark, piercing skin (or whatever the starmen used as a substitute). Ninten pressed the jewel on Dynaldas' hilt and wiped his eyes, watching the gem's color drain into the starman.

"Have a nice sleep," Ninten whispered.

Just like the last one, the starman flailed for a few seconds before flopping over onto the ground. Ninten waited for Dynaldas to regain its color before pulling it out of the starman's corpse.

 _Easy,_ Ninten thought. _So easy. To think that all of humankind feared these creatures just centuries ago…_

Ninten walked up to Duster, who was leaning on the side of the building. He spotted a puddle of blood around Duster's feet, and more of the red liquid was seeping out of the wound that Ninten gave him.

"He… was right," Duster said with a sad smile. "You are a handful."

"I try," Ninten said. "With your leg, I'll catch you if you try to run. If cooperate, I might let you live."

Duster sounded a mirthful laugh.

"I would rather die than give up information to those who support Minerva Carpainter," he said.

Ninten felt his heart go cold. Did he really have to kill a human being? Even though this man was an empirist, Ninten hesitated. Duster seemed to pick up on his reluctance.

"That hesitation will kill you someday," the rogue said. "Mercy is a weakness. A beautiful weakness, but it will kill you all the same."

 _If that's how you want to play it…_ Ninten thought, taking a step forward and raising his sword.

"Ninten!" he heard someone shout. He turned to see Claus running at him. The ginger wore his standard breastplate but also carried a massive sword, even larger than the practice one that he used to duel Ninten back in the first day of swordplay. "What's going on?"

"Fighting starmen," Ninten replied, "And _this_ guy."

"Claus?" Duster said. "You're psyching _alive?_ "

Claus skidded to a halt.

"Duster?" He asked, looking like he had seen a ghost. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Trying to capture me," Ninten muttered.

"Really?" Claus asked, eyeing Duster nervously as he adopted a combat pose. "Ninten's not a bad kid. Why would you want to capture him?"

"I'm part of an organization trying to overthrow Minerva Carpainter," Duster said with a wry smile.

Those words hit Claus like a spell. He immediately dropped his aggressive stance, his shoulders slouching.

"I see," he whispered. "Well, I cannot fault you for that."

"Yes," Duster said. "We both know why the president must die. Our leader requires Ninten to be brought to him alive, although I do not know why. Will you help us?"

"If I assist you," Claus said, "Then I need a favor granted. I need someone dead."

"We can help you with that," Duster said, holding out a hand as if Claus could actually walk up and shake it without Ninten stabbing him first.

"And if you couldn't, would you admit it?" Ninten asked.

"I know Duster," Claus whispered. "He wouldn't lie to me. Not about something like this." He turned back to the rogue. "What will happen to Ninten if we capture him?"

 _I don't like the direction that this conversation is taking,_ Ninten thought, scanning the area for an escape route and finding none.

"He will not be harmed," Duster said. "The person who wants him is his own grandfather, after all."

"And my grandfather is possibly the biggest asshole in the universe," Ninten said, slowly backing off. "He would have no qualms with torturing or killing me if it suited his purposes."

Claus looked Ninten in the eye.

"Ninten…" he said, raising his sword in an aggressive position. "I am sorry, but this is something that I must do. Prepare yourself!"

Ninten barely had time to raise his sword as Claus charged at him. Their blades rang with a metallic _clang_ as steel clashed _._ Ninten looked into Claus' eyes and saw many emotions. Reluctance, sorrow, sympathy… But the one that shone through was determination. Ninten had seen that type of determination in other people. He knew what it meant.

Claus wouldn't hesitate to take him, dead or alive.


	16. Chapter 15: Out of the Shadows

**Hey, look who decided to show up? :D I have a lame excuse for why I didn't post earlier, if you care at all (or even if you don't).**

 **I write a few chapters ahead, and I was like "Okay, I'll finish this chapter before I edit the one that I'm going to publish next." That chapter is over 10k words long and it took four days to write. On top of that, I require three days to edit (this being the third day), because I can't catch everything in two sweeps and the time in between lets me look at the chapter with a new perspective each time.**

 **Anyways, I have a** **marginally important announcement** **to make:**

 **I'm splitting this story up into a trilogy.**

 **I've said this before, but things take longer than I expect. I'm almost done with part one... of five. DX This story could easily break 300-400k words if I keep it as one, which has been done before, but I would prefer not to. In terms of actual writing, part 1 will probably be about 80k words long. If I devote 1+1/2 to 2 parts to each story, that's about 120-150k words per story, which is the length of a typical fantasy novel.**

 **So good news: this story is about halfway done.**

 **Bad news: two more stories will follow.**

 **So... yeah. Feel free to state your thoughts about this. However, I don't expect most of you to care much (it's still the same content either way, after all).**

 **Review Responses:**

 **The-Great-Me-sama:** **Well, I tried a good Duster in City of Progress. That didn't turn out so well. xD And just because he's working against the protagonists doesn't mean that he's evil...**

 **As for Claus wanting Lucas dead, we'll see. :)**

 **adricarra:** **Yeah, sometimes I struggle to keep all of my mysteries straight. xD I can usually remember what happens, but I tend to forget why characters act the way that they do. Then I get these moments of realization, like "Oh yeah, this character secretly hates this character."**

 **Well, if you were a student then you probably wouldn't try to fight the starmen (at least, I hope so!). The Ceres school is in the spotlight, so the government would try to make sure that all students are safe. It looks terrible if students get murdered while at school, after all. And maybe your slipper of death would work! :) I mean, Dynaldas did...**

 **DarkFoxKit:** **Yeah, I prefer Ness and Ninten as well. Jeff's always been hard for me to make interesting (in City of Progress, I kind of gave up on the character after 25 chapters or so). And yeah, Dynaldas has its secrets. ;) I'm still trying to decide just how central to the plot it should be.**

 **Well, Paula wasn't going to commit suicide. She just doesn't really value her life. At all. D:**

 **Thanks! :) I hope that this chapter is just as good.**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:** **Yeah, I go to bed at 10 and wake up at 6. It's not optimal, but it allows me to get by. Sorry that you can't fall asleep so early. D: And I didn't actually think that this textbook section would be too boring. It just felt like I was trying to force information down your throat, which isn't good for writing. Tony is smartsy, but he's also a dumb teenager who doesn't fully understand the value of an education on Ceres. :) You know how some people get. And Megan Aniah isn't really that important; I just really like her character haha. I'll probably give her more scenes than she deserves in the future.**

 **I have classes every other day. I have four classes on one day and three classes on the other (which means that I get out at 12:30 that day, which is sweet), but each class is close to 90 mins. I personally like it, but I know others who hate it. Ah, I'm glad that Mr. Agerate became more interesting. He'll remain a mysterious figure for a while. ;) Ah, I definitely feel like those books are a scam, then. D: I mean, City of Progress is like twice that long. And if you want to read good fantasy (and since you like this, it seems like your style), I would recommend the** **Stormlight Archive** **series. There are only two books out so far (planned series of 10), but each one is about 400k words long. That's about nine** **Warriors** **books! xD**

 **Yeah, I wear these special contacts that I wear at night and then they correct my vision for the next day. They're supposed to help keep my eyes from getting worse. And I say that I wear them, but I broke one of them a couple of days ago. Oops. D: Dynaldas isn't all powerful. All that we know so far is that it kills starmen for some reason. And yeah, this was the first time that it was mentioned. Ninten told Ness that he had a replica, but he clearly lied.**

 **As for the question about Paula, Ness doesn't remember doing anything, but that doesn't rule out the possibility. He could have done something to her and felt so guilty that he hypnotized himself into forgetting about it (which is what Tony thinks). More insight into Paula this chapter. :) And yeah, antagonist Duster again (he's not necessarily evil ;D). And remember that Minerva isn't just the principal. She rules Ceres, which is far more powerful than any other planet. If she really is evil, it will be quite difficult to take her down. Over 1k words? Wow. O.O I appreciate every one. :)**

 **A Fan: Well, the starmen aren't really targeting the school. Ceres is a pretty big place. And yep, Dynaldas is real. Secrets, secrets... :P And your cliffhanger review made me laugh so hard. xD Perfect! :) As for a cliffhanger this chapter... I'm going to say maybe? I don't view it as a cliffhanger, but you might. I will crank out the next chapter more quickly, though. So you won't have to wait as long. :)**

 **Phoesong: That's a little hypocritical about the cliffhangers. ;D In all seriousNess, it was a pretty good place to cut the chapter off so that it, this one, and the next one would have about the same content.**

 **Yep, Ninten's grandfather is a pretty scary dude. I don't know when I'm going to get around to introducing him, but it won't be soon. D: Yep, Duster knows Lucas (although saying that he knows Lucas "very well" is a little bit of a stretch).**

 **As for Paula... again, it will take a while for the truth to come out. D: You'll see more of her this chapter. Thanks for the review! :) And I was only joking when I called you a hypocrite earlier!**

* * *

 _Even though I am 40 years old, I am still a child._

 _I was never taught to live on my own. From birth, father hammered obedience and servility into my malleable mind. He said that god wanted me to listen to him and obey his orders. End of story. I was taught that I would go to hell if I didn't follow his every whim._

 _It's funny… now that I'm free from father's grasp, I'm not really afraid of anything_. _Even the prospect of eternal suffering doesn't have the power to scare me anymore._

 _But that is beside the point. I never learned how to solve my own problems. Before, I would always go to father and he would tell me what to do. Now, I still find myself trying to attain independence at age 40. I guess I should work on that before I try to help anyone else… otherwise, I might end up creating another catastrophe._

* * *

Ninten leapt back, trying to give himself some breathing room. He functioned best in battle if he could force his opponents to come to him. Ninten continued to back off while Claus eyed him curiously.

After a few seconds, Claus let out a sigh. He barreled down and charged at Ninten, who leapt behind a tree before the ginger came close. Claus' greatsword would have trouble swinging around a giant block of wood, but Ninten could still poke holes in his opponent without any hindrances. Claus slowed to a halt on the other side of a tree, his face looking somehow heavy.

"I don't want to do this," Claus repeated, his words themselves sounding chained, "But I must."

"You _must_ do this?" Ninten asked. "You always have a choice, Claus."

"Not this time," Claus replied, smiling sadly as he swung his sword. "I promised myself, Ninten."

Ninten hopped to the side, poking at Claus' face. His stab connected, but Claus didn't seem to care. That shot a pang of fear through Ninten's heart. Either Claus was too stupid to recognize Ninten as a threat or he possessed a psionic aura so powerful that he could take several of Ninten's attacks and live.

And he didn't seem like the stupid type.

"A promise to kill someone?" Ninten asked.

"Yes," Claus answered, his eyes cold and his smile colder.

"Well then," Ninten said, trying to find _some_ way to get Claus to back off. "Do you really think that you can beat me? I mean, no offense, but I _did_ best you during swordplay."

"That was swordplay," Claus said. He muttered something under his breath and made a hand motion, promptly vanishing from sight. The next thing that Ninten registered was a sword cutting into the back of his thigh. "This is a battle of psionics."

Ninten cursed, jumping back and turning around to once again face Claus, who took that opportunity to slash Ninten's other leg. Ninten tried to ignore the pain.

 _Why didn't Dynaldas alert me to Claus' teleportation?_ Ninten wondered. _In fact, why isn't it detecting Claus' psionic aura right now?_

Fight now, think later. Ninten raised his sword to block an incoming attack from Claus.

"You do know that you're now a kidnapper, right?" Ninten asked.

"Yes," Claus replied. "I know that what I am doing is wrong, but I promised to let _nothing_ stop me from my quest."

"So if Ness were here, you would be willing to kill or capture him?" Ninten asked.

Claus faltered, missing a step. Ninten could have stabbed his opponent but chose not to. He wanted Claus to view his question as something other than a distraction from combat.

"Ness… reminds me of someone I knew," Claus said. "I don't know if I could do this to him."

"But since I'm an asshole, it's fine to do this to me?" Ninten asked.

Claus sighed.

"It's not like that, Ninten. It really isn't. I respect you."

"Just not enough to keep you from kidnapping me?" Ninten asked.

"…"

Right then, Ninten detected another psion teleporting right behind him.

"You're late," Duster said. Despite his words, the rogue seemed relieved.

Ninten risked a glance behind him. The psion was a large man whose face was obscured by black cloth that revealed only his eyes and mouth. That veil made him look strange, although Ninten didn't want to provoke his anger by commenting on it.

"You said that you could deal with the boy," the psion told Duster. "I see that you failed _so badly_ that you needed to recruit another warrior to help you out."

Something about the way that psion held himself instilled Ninten with fear. He seemed the type that could make everyone in a room bow by simply entering. People like him were usually either powerful or stupid. Ninten hoped that it was the latter

"That doesn't matter," Duster hissed. "Quickly, seize the boy!"

Ninten focused Dynaldas' abilities on the psion's aura. He found that this psion controlled his aura almost absolutely, meaning that he was more powerful than Ninten could ever hope to be. As a general rule, psions with greater control over their auras could use better powers and take more punishment without going down. He knew that he couldn't hope to fight this psion.

But Ninten knew that he _couldn't_ let them take him alive, and they were most certainly going to take him.

So they would have to take him dead.

Ninten ripped Dynaldas out of its sheath, bringing it up to his throat. He buried his fear, reminding himself that he didn't have much to live for in the first place. He closed his eyes.

 _I'm sorry, Mimmie,_ he thought. _You deserved an older sibling that didn't have to cry on your shoulder all of the time._

Suddenly, he felt his arm drop to his side.

 _What the psych!_ Ninten swore in his head. _I didn't tell it to do that!_

Ninten tried to open his mouth, but couldn't even manage that.

"They say that controlling another person with psionics is forbidden," the veiled psion said emotionlessly. "But that's only because it's so useful."

"You're… controlling his mind?" Claus asked in horror.

"Body," the psion corrected. "He's still free to think whatever he wants."

 _Fuck you,_ Ninten thought.

The psion smiled, either having guessed Ninten's thought or having read his mind.

"Now," the psion said, walking up to Ninten and snatching Dynaldas. "What might this be?"

"We need that," Duster said. "It was the 'certain object' in our deal."

"Ah," the psion said, handing the knife to Duster. "All yours, then."

 _Get your grubby hands off of that knife!_ Ninten tried to shout.

"Now…" the psion said. "I sense a powerful psionic aura coming from that hand mirror in your pocket."

He walked up and grabbed the portocom out of Ninten's pocket, examining it. He flipped it over to the back and smiled.

 _Psych it!_ Ninten thought. _That's where I wrote the numbers of my friends!_

"Ah…" the psion said, seeming pleased. "Which one shall I call? I suppose that I can't really take _her…_ and that one doesn't have psionic powers."

 _He's going to call Ness,_ Ninten thought, a chill running down his spine. _He just ruled out Ana and Jeff. He's going to capture Ness, and there's nothing that I can do to stop it!_

* * *

Ness heard his potocom go off. Anxiously, he pulled it out of his pocket, shielding his eyes against the neon lights that flashed brightly in the darkness.

"What is that?" Paula asked hesitantly. "…Sorry if I'm intruding."

"You don't have to feel sorry!" Ness exclaimed. "This is a portable telecom. Ninten's calling."

"Ninten?" Paula asked, her eyes growing wide. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know," Ness said. "I need to answer the call first."

"Oh…" Paula said, looking downwards in shame.

 _She's beating herself up about nothing,_ Ness thought. _Is this how I appear to Ninten?_

Ness wanted to comfort Paula, but he had to see why Ninten was calling. He hit the accept button and a veiled face popped up on the screen.

"You're not Ninten!" Ness exclaimed in shock.

"Correct," the veiled man replied. "Which makes you wonder why I have his little toy, hmm?"

"Uh… maybe he dropped it and you picked it up?" Ness asked hopefully.

"Do you really believe that?"

 _No._

"I… don't know what to believe," Ness answered.

The veiled man smiled (why there was a hole in the veil that showed his lips, Ness couldn't figure out) and turned to portocom around. Now Ness could see the view in front of the veiled man… which included another man holding a knife up to Ninten's throat. Ness' heart leapt, and not only at the threat. The man holding the knife seemed to be the same one who had nearly killed Ness earlier.

"Ness…" Ninten whispered, his face turning pale.

"Ninten!" Ness exclaimed, heartbroken at seeing Ninten so shaken. "Are you all right?"

"Does it look like it?" Ninten joked, but did not drop his terrified look.

"As you can see," the veiled man said. "I have your friend right here."

Ness didn't bother to ask how the man knew that he and Ninten were friends. In his addled state, that thought didn't even occur to him.

"Please…" Ness whispered. "Please don't hurt him!"

"I won't… so long as you present yourself right in front of the school in ten minutes. Any more time than that and your friend loses an arm."

A chill ran down Ness' spine.

"Why… why me?" Ness asked.

"Do you want Ninten to die?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then it doesn't matter. Present yourself in ten minutes."

"Ness…" Ninten said, his face as paling further. "I…"

"Don't worry, Ninten!" Ness exclaimed. "I'm coming!"

"The front door is locked, even from the inside," the veiled man explained. "So escape through one of the windows and head out to the front of the school. I trust that you'll be there."

The call shut off, leaving the portocom to display nothing but a blank, purple sheet.

"Ness," Paula whispered sadly. "Something's wrong with Ninten."

"Of course something's wrong with him!" Ness exclaimed. "They're going to kill him!"

"No… not that," Paula whispered quietly, as if scared of provoking Ness' anger. "He seemed worried about his self-preservation. When has that ever happened before?"

"Well, he's about to die!" Ness exclaimed.

"But still…"

"Sorry, Paula," Ness said. "I have to go _now._ Please… head to the bunker, all right?"

"Ness, you _know_ that it's a trap," Paula said, her eyes shining with pain. "They'll capture you without letting Ninten go!"

"I'm sorry," Ness said, knowing in his heart that Paula was probably right. "Even if that's true… I'll never be able to live with myself if I don't try this. Goodbye."

Ness didn't look back as he ran down the hall to the nearest window. He knew that he couldn't bear the sight of Paula's sad face.

* * *

 _He left you again,_ Paula's mind whispered.

 _Shut the psych up!_ Paula shouted back. _Ness… never hurt me! He didn't!_

 _Just keep believing that._

Paula wanted to curl up into a ball. Part of her mind feared Ness and the other part feared _for_ him. Couldn't he see that he was walking straight into a trap?

 _You don't deserve to care about him,_ Paula's mind whispered. _You treated him like a monster. Of course he doesn't care about you. Who would?_

"No…" Paula said out loud, shying back from her own mind. "Stop…. please!"

 _If he really cared about you, then he wouldn't have left. He would have stayed with you._

Paula started shaking. She knew that her mind was _right,_ that Ness didn't care about her and he shouldn't.

That didn't make it any easier to hear.

Paula wanted to run after Ness. She wanted to chase him and beg for him to turn back. That way, she wouldn't be left alone with her thoughts. And of course she cared about Ness… he was walking into a situation that he couldn't possibly escape!

But Paula knew that she didn't _deserve_ to care about him, not after how she had treated him. She couldn't worry about him; she couldn't fear for him. That would be wrong. Paula quashed all of the emotions in her heart, stomping the last semblance of worry.

She turned around, looking at the red moonlight leaking down the hallway. Paula didn't want to go to the bunker; she didn't want to feel useless. But it wasn't her place to chase after Ness. Her heart weighing like a brick in her chest, Paula took a tentative step towards safety.

 _Please…_ Paula thought. _Please don't make me do this! I don't want to feel so small!_

Paula shook her head, gritting her teeth. What she wanted didn't _matter._ She took another step forward, biting her lip to keep herself from crying.

 _Just put one foot in front of the other…_

Paula took step after step, every one against the will of her body. She felt horrible about going back to safety, and then felt guilty about feeling horrible _._ She knew that she shouldn't feel bad. Ness cared about her. He wanted to make sure that she was safe. That in itself was more that she deserved.

Yet in that moment, she couldn't have felt worse.

 _Oh god,_ she thought. _Why can't I just do what I'm supposed to? Why does my body keep resisting?_

After what felt like hours, Paula arrived at the bunker. She opened the door and walked in, guarding her eyes against the light of the candles inside. She hardly noticed all of the other students. She could only focus on how _awful_ she felt.

Despite her guilt of worrying so much about herself, Paula couldn't help but wonder when her suffering would end. Weighing that idea in her head, she came up with a tentative answer:

Never.

Paula's shoulders slouched. She could hardly stand up.

 _If that's what life has in store for me, then there's nothing that I can do about it,_ she thought.

For an instant, Paula thought about killing herself. She quickly squashed that thought, horrified that it had come to her mind. She couldn't kill herself! God disdained of those who wasted his gift of life.

* * *

"Are you two sure about this?" Ana asked as she ran alongside Jeff and Tony on the moonlit streets of Ceres. "The starmen will target me. You'll be safer on your own."

"Psych that!" Tony exclaimed. "We won't leave a lady like you on your own!"

Ana laughed.

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment," she said. "Do you two have a plan for what to do?"

"Of course we do!" Tony exclaimed. "We run into the midst of the action and see what happens!"

Jeff wanted to comment on that, but his burning lungs didn't allow him to utter a single word. Seriously, how could Ana and Tony run so far without growing tired?

"Sounds precise and carefully articulated," Ana replied with a smile.

"You gotta speak English, Ana," Tony said. "I'm just a dumb teenager, remember?"

"Aren't we all?" Ana asked with a grin. "I'm just a dumb teenager with a command of obscure words at my disposal."

 _Those two really bounce off of each other,_ Jeff thought. _I wish that I could do that._

"Hey, Ana," Tony said. "Could you make a weapon for me? In my precise and carefully articulated plan, I may have forgotten to bring one."

 _Just like how you forgot to check if the door was barricaded shut before trying to open it,_ Jeff thought. _I swear, I'm never squeezing out of another window again! But I wonder why one was already open…_

Ana laughed and whispered something under her breath. A crossbow appeared in her hands, made out of translucent ectoplasm. Tony looked disappointed as Ana handed the weapon to him.

"A crossbow?" he asked.

"Good job!" Ana exclaimed. "I would have been concerned if you couldn't identify that weapon."

Tony blushed brightly enough for Jeff to make out in the dim light.

"I would have preferred a sword," he muttered.

"I'm just messing with you," Ana said with a laugh. "But seriously, you do not want to get close enough to a starman to stab it. Trust me; I've fought these creatures before."

 _You have?_ Jeff thought.

"It just seems cowardly," Tony said.

"Better a coward than a corpse," Ana pointed out.

"…I suppose," Tony conceded.

"Wait," Ana said, slowing to a halt. "There are starmen nearby. Jeff, do you want a weapon?"

"I… guess…" Jeff panted.

"That's a pretty convincing 'no'," Ana said. "You look like you need to catch your breath. Tony and I should head forward."

"No…" Jeff protested. "I can do it…"

"Jeffster," Tony said in a serious tone that contrasted with his use of Jeff's nickname. "Know your body."

 _You don't know how it feels to be useless!_ Jeff wanted to shout.

"Jeff," Ana said. "War has no room for pride. I understand that you _want_ to help. I really do. Can you understand that you would be risking your life for basically nothing? I won't stop you if you try to come, but you honestly won't have much of an impact."

Ouch. That stung… but Jeff had to admit that Ana was probably right.

"…Okay," he panted.

"Thank you," Ana said, letting out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad that you understand."

Ana and Tony took off, leaving Jeff alone with his mind.

 _I feel like I'm clinging onto Ana,_ he thought. _I almost see her as another parent. Maybe it's because she's so considerate and protective. I never had a mother, and my father was always off working on his own projects. Is this what having a parent feels like? I never expected it to seem so… comfortable. In this moment, I feel relaxed despite the fact that a starman could kill me at any moment. I guess that I trust Ana to lead me through this…_

Jeff cut off his thoughts as he heard a fiery roar. Looking up, he was almost blinded by the inferno that lit up the night like a lantern. The massive flare disappeared as quickly as it came into existence.

 _No!_ Jeff thought. _I don't think that Ana could produce that. Did a starman attack them?_

Fear gripped Jeff's heart. He sprinted towards the site of the flare faster than he would have thought possible.

 _Please,_ Jeff thought. _Please don't let them be dead!_

Arriving at the scene, Jeff saw the rude psion that he had encountered at the Gate (Jeff remembered that his name was Roland) fighting off two starmen. Both of then looked singed, but their faces showed no pain.

"PK Hurricane!" Jeff heard in Ana's voice.

A massive twister appeared on top of the starmen, picking up debris and tossing the aliens around like dolls. When the starmen finally landed, Jeff could see gashes left by the wind itself. The starmen's innards started falling out of their bodies.

 _Oh… I think that I'm going to be sick…_

Jeff looked around, spotting Ana and Tony. He ran over to them, relieved that neither of them looked hurt. Ana leaned on Tony's shoulder as she gasped for air.

"Divine Rulers!" Tony exclaimed. "Ana, what did you _do?_ "

"Couldn't you tell?" Ana asked, flashing an exhausted smile. "I summoned a hurricane. It was tougher than I remembered…"

" _You_ most certainly didn't summon that," Roland said, walking up to the teenagers. " _I_ can't even use that power, and I'm a full-fledged kinetist."

Ana laughed weakly.

"I would advise that you not judge by appearances," she wheezed. "Most psions make that mistake."

Roland fumed with anger.

"Learn some respect, girl," he hissed, shoving a finger in her face.

"Considering that I may have just saved your life," Ana said with a smirk, "I would advise you to learn some respect."

Roland's jaw dropped. He looked to Jeff and Tony and his face darkened further.

"You two boys again?" he asked. "That teacher was supposed to take you to a safe place!"

Ana looked at Jeff, raising an eyebrow. _Teacher?_ her face seemed to ask.

"He did," Tony answered. "We came back out."

"Dumb kids," Roland muttered. "You never learn."

Jeff had to resist the temptation to slap the psion's face.

"Quiet," Ana muttered, closing her eyes. "I'm trying to think."

"How dare you…" Roland trailed off as he realized that Ana wasn't reacting.

"Starmen…" Ana muttered. "What did Ninten's father say?"

Jeff looked at Tony, who offered a confused shrug.

"I remember!" Ana exclaimed, opening her eyes. "Jeff, do you know how to make a PSI bomb?"

Roland's eyes boggled.

"Those things are dangerous!" he exclaimed.

"Well?" Ana asked, clearly ignoring the psion.

"Err… yeah," Jeff said. "They're actually pretty simple. You build a basic psionic circuit and…"

"Perfect!" Ana exclaimed. "Can you make one right now?"

Jeff blinked.

"As in _now_ now?" he asked.

"Well, as soon as possible," she said. "This is really important."

"I guess…" Jeff said. "I need to dismantle some of my devices to get the circuits and crystals. It's a good thing that I brought them."

"I'll reimburse it all," Ana said. "Like I said, this is critical."

Jeff nodded. Ana had earned his trust several times over; he could do this for her. He went to work crafting the bomb.

"What does this kid think that he's doing?" Roland exclaimed, his words making Jeff want to punch him.

"Being more useful than you," Ana said. "I hate to say this, but you're a distraction. If you can't keep quiet, I'm going to ask you to leave."

"Wha…" Roland trailed off, seeming stupefied. "You can't say that to me! I'm a powerful psion!"

"Actually, there is something that that you might be able to help me with," Ana said to him. "You know Megan Aniah, right?"

"Who doesn't?" Roland replied with a scoff.

"Do you know where she is right now?" Ana asked.

"What if I do?" the psion replied. "I wouldn't tell a brat like _you_."

 _Someone please shut him up!_ Jeff thought.

"Lives are on the line," Ana said gravely. "I hope that you don't think your pride greater than a single human life, much less thousands of them."

"I don't trust you," he said.

"Hey, Ana," Jeff piped in, trying to distract himself from the Roland's words. "How good does the bomb have to be?"

"It can be sloppy and still serve its purpose," Ana said. "Don't worry about quality."

Roland turned to Jeff and Tony.

"You two should steer clear of this girl," he said. "She's a bad influence on you."

Tony muttered something under his breath.

"Please," Ana said to the psion. "I just need to know Ms. Aniah's location. Is that so hard?"

"You could be assassins," he maintained.

Ana shot him a wry look.

"If she couldn't handle a handful of kids, she wouldn't be one of the secretaries of psionics."

 _Hmm?_ Jeff thought. _That title sounds important… just like Mr. Agerate said. I wonder what Ana's parents do._

Roland fumbled.

"Lives are at stake," Ana whispered. "There's a real cost. Imagine if _your_ family was on the line."

"…The Gate," Roland said. "She's guarding the Gate. It's the only way for those starmen to escape."

"Thank you," Ana said. "How's that bomb coming along, Jeff?"

Jeff looked down at his creation. It looked messy, but it would work.

Hopefully.

"All done," he said.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked.

"…Yeah," Jeff replied. "I didn't have much to work with, so this is all I have."

"You placed the bomb innards inside of that device?" he asked.

"Something has to contain it," Jeff replied with a shrug. "It won't work well, but it will work."

"It looks wonderful, Jeff," Ana said with a sweet smile. "Teleport!"

Jeff opened his mouth to reply, but the world started spinning around him before he could utter a single word.

* * *

"Ninten!" Ness shouted, running towards a group of figures in front of the school, unable to make out who they were amidst the red shroud of the night. "Ninten!"

As he got close, Ness felt himself being lifted up into the air. An arrow of fear pierced his heart as he flailed his limbs helplessly. He felt himself float over next to Ninten, who was also suspended in the air. Suddenly, his limbs locked into place.

"Ness," Ninten said, his voice surprisingly bitter. "You did come. You're too nice for your own _psyching_ good."

"But…" Ness said. "It seemed like you wanted me to come…"

"That wasn't me talking," Ninten said, pointing the veiled man in front of them. " _He_ controlled my body and made me say that."

Ness felt a sinking feeling overtake him. Paula had been right!

"I'm surprised that it worked, honestly," the veiled man said with a chuckle. "Ninten is so stubborn that any semblance of fear on his face seems wrong."

 _Oh yeah, go ahead and make me feel worse about myself,_ Ness thought bitterly.

He scanned the area in front of him (he could still move his head, thankfully). In the dim light, he saw the cloaked man who had almost killed him earlier and…

"Claus!" Ness exclaimed. "Is that you?"

"Sure as psych it is," Ninten muttered. "He helped them capture me."

"No," Ness whispered, his eyes widening. "No, that can't be right…" he trailed off, looking at Claus' guilty face.

"I… am sorry," Claus whispered.

"Why?" Ness asked. "I didn't think that you would ever help people like these."

Claus' face flashed with shame.

"Stop it, Lu-Ness!" he exclaimed. "I'm doing this because I have to."

"We always have a choice," Ninten said with a sad smile. "Someday, you'll learn that, Claus."

"Shut up!" Claus shouted. "I… I don't like this, all right?"

"Then do something about it," Ninten said.

"You know how powerful that psion is!" Claus yelled desperately. "I don't stand a psyching chance!"

"Yes," the veiled man said. "At least _one_ of you here is smart. Now, I shall take Ness. Duster, you may take Ninten and his little knife."

Ness felt the blood drain from his face. He didn't want to go _anywhere_ with that man!

"What are you going to do with Ness?" Claus asked.

Ninten scoffed.

"You haven't figured it out?" the American asked. "He's a slaver."

A chill ran down Ness' spine. He was going to become… a slave?

"Is that true?" Claus asked the veiled man, his face turning pale.

"Yes, and there's nothing that you can do about it," the psion replied.

"Are you still on board with this?" Ninten asked Claus.

Claus took a step back, gritting his teeth. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then he charged at the veiled man.

Claus slashed the psion in the stomach, drawing blood. However, most of the impact was absorbed by the slaver's psionic aura.

"I take it back," the veiled man said. "You are as stupid as the other two. Hold Person!"

Claus, just like Ness and Ninten, started to float in the air. He took another swipe at the slaver before his limbs locked in place.

"Ah," the veiled man said in disappointment. "Those clothes were expensive. Now I have to get new ones."

"Psych off," Claus muttered.

"On the contrary, I will see how much you are worth," the veiled man said, examining Claus closely. "A psychic warrior? You don't see many of those any more. Hmm… you won't be all that useful. Would you like to end up as a slave, or would you prefer to die quickly?"

Claus snarled in reply.

"A quick death it is, then," the veiled man said.

"DROP THE CHILDREN," a mechanical voice that seemed to come from above said.

The words echoed, making Ness wonder if he was really hearing it or just receiving a telepathic message. The veiled man closed his eyes, promptly reopening them and looking up at the school's roof.

"I know you're up there!" he shouted at the building. "If you so much as _sneeze,_ I'm going to kill them!"

"ONE MORE CHANCE," the mechanical voice echoed. "RELEASE THE CHILDREN."

The slaver snarled.

"I'm _this_ close to squashing their little brains. Do you hear…" his voice trailed off.

Ness fell tumbling to the ground. He looked up at the veiled man in confusion and gasped as he saw an arrow sticking out of his chest. The blood on the stone arrowhead danced under the red light, not allowing Ness to see anything else.

 _He's dead,_ Ness thought, _but how? Why?_

Ness wanted to figure out, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the crimson blood dripping from the arrowhead.

"He should know better than to mess with me," Ness heard in a woman's voice. "The night is my domain. The moon is my strength. Red is my destiny."

The slaver crumpled and fell to the ground. Ness looked past him to see a woman with stocky limbs and grey hair walking up with a bow and arrow in hand. The man that the psion had called Duster took off running. The woman favored the students with a smile, ignoring the rogue. Ness froze, unable to say or do _anything._

 _No,_ Ness thought. _It can't be. She should be dead. Everyone said that she was dead…_

"President Carpainter?" Ninten asked.

Ness recovered from his shock.

"No," he whispered. " _Diana_ Carpainter."


	17. Chapter 16: Moonlight's Reaping

**This is it. This is the final chapter of part 1. After this, the story is about halfway complete (although it doesn't feel that way... I'm still kinda thinking about this story as a big whole thing instead of a trilogy). Anyways, since I don't have to worry about length as much, I'll be able to go into more detail about the stuff in part 2. You know how I said that I had five parts planned out? Well, part 2 is the longest so I'm splitting it in half. The first part will be part of this story, and the sequel will start off with the other part (but don't worry, I'll still make a climax and conclusion :D).**

 **I have my first physics test on Friday. *sobs* I never knew that basic 2d kinematics could be so soul-crushing. I keep reminding myself that it's my only hard class, and that my workload this year is the least it's ever been in high school. I also remind myself that unlike Calc, I can mess up and still get a top score. So that's nice (I guess). I can also retake tests. :0**

 **Okay, maybe physics isn't so bad (yet). Onto the review responses!**

 **DarkFoxKit:** **Nah, your interpretation was fine. :) You didn't have much to go after (it was kinda ambiguous on purpose). That's why last chapter cleared some things up. Thanks! :) I do try to give characters time to interact with each other, but it can be quite tricky with ~10 major characters (I mean, you get the n(n-1)/2 equation which would require 45 instances of a 1 on 1 conversation O.O). And yeah, I was probably more proud of myself than I want to admit for Claus almost calling Ness "Lucas." :)**

 **Crabby Tomato:** **Yeah, a little. ;) Honestly, it was a pretty convenient place to stop. I had been wanting to write Diana's entry for months, so I felt so happy after I finished that I really didn't feel like doing anything else. xD And yeah, Paula's situation is pretty tragic right now. I sometimes wonder why I subject my characters to so much pain... I guess it's because I want to see how people react to adversity without subecting myself to anything (my life has been a cakewalk haha).**

 **Yup, Duster isn't friendly. D: And remember the fragmented memories (few lines of italic text at the start of each chapter)? Diana's pretty sorry about hurting all of those people.**

 **adricarra: Her relationship will Ness will actually be explained soon... although not now. xD I mean, you'll get more clues, but not much more. And yeah, I'm more proud of Claus almost calling Ness "Lucas" than I should be. xD And I won't say anything specific, but Paula will grow. :) Thanks!**

 **A Fan: I totally get it. :) Good luck with whatever you're doing and I hope to see you soon.**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Glad that you liked the fight! I felt more comfortable with this one because it was dialogue-based. And yeah, I know what you mean with Claus almost calling Ness "Lucas." I don't think that anything that Claus would do is cute. :) And yeah, more info on Lucas coming soon (not enough to get an accurate picture of his current situation, though ;D). The psion's power is explained a little here. There are no hard guidelines for the level of power that a psion has, but this one was pretty darn powerful.**

 **I never said anything about a ring or a bracelet. :) In fact, it isn't either of those. And more context on this later, but psychic warriors are kinda half psions and half fighters. They generally use psionics to buff themselves up and then they hit things. This gives them more raw power but less versatility (which is generally weaker and less esteemed overall).**

 **Yeah... personally, I'm not sure where the line goes between doing something because it's right or doing something to avoid the guilt. Can those coincide? Well, the white crayon analogy made me laugh out loud. :D The white crayon is one of the dumbest ideas ever! xD But I'm sure that you're not useless. You're probably just not... authoritative. For me, that faded a bit as I grew older.**

 **Hurricanes form in water (unlike tornadoes, which form on land), and they certainly pick up water, but the wind is the destructive part of the equation. Yep, I'll make sure to put a scene in where Roland realizes that. :D**

 **Oh yeah, being a night person is rough. Luckily for me, I'm a morning person. But because I'm a teenager, I'm also a night person. So I start strong, peter out at 1 or 2, and then come back strong at 8 or 9. It's really weird. xD Hey, I _love_ getting long reviews! Don't feel bad. :) And I actually like the long classes. Knowing that I only have to deal with three or four of them makes it much more bearable psychologically. The worst was Driver's Ed, though. 3 straight hours of no info whatsoever. ;-; **

**Yeah, the first book of Stormlight Archive is abou 380k and the other is 400k. If you like Ceres, then I'm pretty sure you would like that series. I steal a lot of my writing style from the author (such as making a succinct, one sentence point that's supposed to stand out). And of course, his writing is professional and mine isn't. :) Oh man, that contact is _gone._ It basically snapped in half. Not much I can do about that (other than not break it in the first place). And we know that Dynaldas can kill starmen and detect psions/starmen, but I'm not saying that there isn't more. :)**

* * *

 _Victory! Victory across the skies!_

 _Today, everyone on Vulcan celebrates. I can feel the planet itself reverberate with joy. As I look up to the stars, they seem close rather than distant, welcoming rather than excluding. On this one day, everyone has been unified by one massive victory for humanity:_

 _Father is dead by Minerva's command._

 _His death gives me the hope that I need. Because even if the rest of my life is riddled with failures, one fact remains the same:_

 _Father will never hurt anyone ever again._

 _I feel a warm feeling well up in my heart. How peculiar… it almost feels like I'm happy. I don't know what to think about how strange that prospect seems._

 _But I have plenty of time to think later. Today, I celebrate victory._

* * *

"Diana Carpainter?" Ninten asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Didn't you drink yourself to death?"

Diana smiled. It looked surprisingly sincere. Ninten didn't know how he expected the notorious mass murderer to react, but he _definitely_ didn't expect friendliness.

"A convenient lie," she said. "If people knew that I were still alive, I would never get a chance to rest. Not that I blame anyone for that. Ah, hello, Claus! You seem to keep getting yourself into trouble!"

 _So both Ness and Claus know this woman?_ Ninten thought. _Geez, I thought that I was the one with scary connections._

Claus scowled, the red moonlight making his face seem even angrier.

"I'm just teasing," Diana said. "Seriously, you need to lighten up! It helps more than you would think."

 _Wait,_ Ninten thought. _One of the most notorious criminals to ever live is telling someone to lighten up?_

"You don't know what you're saying, woman," Claus muttered. "My sob story is different from yours. Your juvenile tactics would not work in my situation. I am an agent of death rather than life."

 _So dramatic…_ Ninten thought, resisting the urge to scoff.

"I suppose," Diana said with a shrug. "After all, I can't read your mind. Why is that?"

"Trade secret," Claus replied with a dangerous smile.

"Fair enough," Diana said. "Do you know that you're basically invisible to starmen? They mostly see people through their psionic rather than physical senses, and your mental map is hidden from detection."

"I did know that," Claus answered. "I've killed starmen before."

"Ah, that's right," Diana replied, a knowing smile dancing on her lips. "For a second, I forgot where you came from."

 _Care to speak in terms that the rest of us can understand?_ Ninten thought.

Diana walked up to Ness, wearing a sad smile.

"It is nice to meet you again," she said. "Although it probably doesn't seem that way to you. I am truly sorry for what I did."

"You said that before," Ness whispered, shying away.

"And I was sincere," Diana said with a sigh. "I get the message, though. I won't terrorize you further."

Ness looked down at his feet, saying nothing.

"Thanks for saving us," Ninten said.

Diana's eyes widened in surprise.

"Err… you're welcome!" she replied with a blush.

 _If I didn't know better, I would think that Diana's a teenager like the rest of us,_ Ninten thought.

"So how did you kill that psion?" Claus asked. "His psionic aura should have allowed him to take a dozen arrows to the chest and live."

"It was quite simple, actually," Diana replied. "You know how you can weaken or even completely bypass a psion's aura if you surprise them? Well, I did just that. I put my psionically enchanted bow up on the school so that he would expect me to attack him from there. Then I shot him in the back. Because he didn't direct his aura in my direction, he just… died."

"That seems too easy," Claus said, shaking his head.

"Well, it only worked because of how hard he focused on my enchanted bow," Diana said. "If he had examined the area around him, he would have detected my mind shield. But like most psions, he wouldn't _dream_ of leaving a powerful item like a psionic bow on its own. He just assumed that I was up there. Gadgets, no matter how fancy, are just tools to me. I'll sacrifice as many as I need to."

"But can't psions detect each other's auras?" Ness asked softly. "Couldn't he see yours?"

Diana shook her head.

"My mind shield blocks other psions from detecting anything about my mind, including my psionic aura. However, they can still sense the mind shield itself, although it's far more difficult. If that slaver had just taken a look around, he would have noticed something wrong. But he didn't because he's a psion, and they train psions to focus completely on whatever they're doing without letting their minds wander."

 _Interesting…_ Ninten thought. _So there are benefits to not concentrating as hard?_

"Regardless, I'm glad that he's dead," Diana said with a sneer. "Hunting that man down was a pain."

"Who is he?" Ninten asked. "He seemed rather powerful for a simple slaver."

"Slavery is a lucrative business that attracts powerful people," Diana said in disgust. "They have to use their psionic muscle to hide from the law. That was Alsom Garrickson."

Ness gasped while Ninten was barely able to keep his composure.

"That man's somewhat of a legend, in a bad way," Ninten said. "On Earth, my mother used to scare me into behaving by saying that he would capture me if I acted naughty. And it almost happened!"

Ninten couldn't help but laugh at that. He never would have thought in a million years that the slaver would come after him.

"Humorous, isn't it?" Diana asked with a smile. "Alsom Garrickson, starmen attacks, _me…_ It's all real."

"Heh," Ninten said. "Now you're going to tell me that chimeras are real too."

Diana shrugged apologetically.

"No way," Ninten whispered. "They _are_ real?"

"Sure as psych they are," Claus muttered.

"How can people get away with creating those… creatures?" Ness asked in quiet disgust.

"On Vulcan, the government is a joke," Diana replied. "Corporations rule the planet in all but name. They can get away with _anything._ "

 _Geez,_ Ninten thought. _I knew that Vulcan was bad, but not that bad!_

"Now," Diana said. "You three should probably head to the bunker. I don't think that Claus will attack you again, Ninten."

"Wait, how did you know that he attacked me in the first place?" Ninten asked. "Were you here all along?"

Diana's eyes widened.

"Oops," she said. "I guess I let that slip. The truth is that I can read your mind nearly effortlessly. I do it without thinking."

"Well, could you _stop?_ " Ninten asked. "It's making me uncomfortable."

"Ninten," Ness said softly. "That's rude. She just saved our lives."

 _Wait, Ness fears Diana more than anyone else, yet he's defending her? Truly, he's too nice for his own good._

"It's all right, Ness," Diana said. "He didn't intend to hurt my feelings. As for if I can stop… well, I can but I won't. My PSI vision allows me to detect starmen and other foes. For example, Duster is still fleeing. He tossed Dynaldas away in hope that I would follow the knife's aura instead of catching him. That would work against any other psion, except for my twin sister."

 _PSI vision?_ Ninten thought. _I wonder what that means._

"Duster seemed furious at Minerva," Ninten said. "Do you know why?"

Diana looked at Claus, who let out a guttural snarl.

"…Yes," Diana reluctantly replied. "Don't mess with her. The woman is psyching _serious._ Now, I shall hunt down Duster and retrieve your knife, Ninten. You should find it in your room sometime later."

"How do you know how to get to my room?" Ninten asked. "Are you some sort of stalker?"

"I can read your mind, remember?" Diana asked with a playful smirk.

"…Oh."

 _That must be so useful,_ Ninten thought. _As much as it bugs me that she reads my mind, I would give almost anything to have that ability myself._

"Please… don't chase Duster," Claus said. "He's not a bad person, really. He's just… misguided. Focus on the starmen instead. They're more dangerous, and Ninten probably left Duster with a permanent limp anyways. You said that he threw Dynaldas away? Well, can't you just find it and take it back to Ninten's room without catching Duster?"

Diana cocked her head in thought.

"Actually, that does make sense," she said. "Okay; I'll do that."

Claus sighed in relief.

"Now…" Diana said. "Do you three want to continue fighting the starmen, or shall I teleport you in front of the bunker?"

"I'm done for the night," Ninten said. "Starmen don't go after regular people, so I don't need to feel guilty about leaving civilians unprotected."

"…I'm done as well," Ness whispered, looking at his feet. "Sorry."

Claus snorted.

"You don't need to apologize, Ness," he said. "I think that I'm going to keep going. Killing things is a great way to burn off some steam, and better to kill starmen than humans."

 _Geez,_ Ninten thought. _This kid…_

"Do you want me to help?" Diana asked, not seeming fazed by Claus' motive.

"I don't want _anyone_ to help," Claus replied. "Good day, Diana. Thanks for the rescue… and I'm sorry, Ninten."

 _He doesn't seem that sorry,_ Ninten thought.

"If that situation arose tomorrow, you would attack me again, wouldn't you?" Ninten asked.

Claus cocked his head.

"If I didn't know that one of the kidnappers was a slaver?" he finally asked. "…Yes, I would. I'm still sorry."

"…"

"I don't expect you to understand, Ninten. But I _have_ to do this."

"You just remind me of someone I know," Ninten said. "Good luck killing starmen. Each one on the edge of your sword is one less that the rest of the universe has to deal with."

Claus flashed a feral smile.

"I'll try," he said as he walked away.

"He scares me," Ness whispered. It almost seemed like he was trying to hide in the darkness, shrinking away from the light. "And yet I feel bad for him. Is that stupid?"

Diana Carpainter sighed, her tired face looking decades older than it had a few minutes ago.

"I think it's wonderful, Ness," she said. "Smart or stupid is irrelevant. I really do empathize with Claus. For the longest time, I felt like I _had_ to follow my father's orders. The idea of another option seemed preposterous to me. I wish that Claus knew what I did right now." Diana shook her head. "But you probably don't want to listen to the reminiscings of a bitter woman. Teleport!"

Before Ninten could formulate a reply, he felt the world swirl around him.

* * *

Jeff appeared right in front of the Gate, courtesy of Ana's teleport. While he and Tony struggled to orient themselves, Ana walked right up to the woman standing at the entrance. Jeff recognized her as Megan Aniah, Ana's mother.

"Ana!" Megan exclaimed, her voice sounding various shades of joy. "Ana! I'm so happy to see you!"

Ana stepped forward and embraced her mother.

"Hi, mom," she whispered.

"I haven't seen you in so long," Megan said in a soothing voice. "You never told me that Ninten was going to the same school as you! I didn't know that he had psionic powers!"

"Sorry," Ana said. "I've been… busy."

"I know that you have, sweetie," Megan said. "How are you and Ninten getting along?"

"Fine," Ana replied.

"Are you two dating?"

"Mom!" Ana exclaimed. "Stop jumping to conclusions!"

"I'm just teasing, sweetie," Megan said, looking up at the two boys and laughing. "You two just cannot stay in a safe location, can you?"

"Oh!" Ana exclaimed. "I didn't know that you had met Jeff and Tony."

"It was pretty brief," Megan said. "I hope that your teacher made it back safely."

"He did," Tony replied. "I'm Tony, by the way. This is Jeff. Nice to meet you, Ms. Aniah."

"Nice to meet you too," Megan said with a radiant smile.

 _So this is where Ana gets her people skills from,_ Jeff thought.

"Teacher?" Ana asked. "I feel so lost."

"Now you know what it's like for me to talk to your dad, sweetie," Megan said affectionately. "But yeah, one of the teachers removed a starman device that shut down the Gate. His name was Mr. Agerate."

"Huh," Ana said, cocking her head in thought. "He did always seem like the type to carry secrets."

"No kidding," Megan said. "I can't name a dozen psions alive who could make a Null Psionics Field, much less one that could engulf an entire room."

Ana gasped.

"I didn't even know that he could _use_ psionics at all!" she exclaimed.

"A Null Psionics Field is that hard to use?" Jeff asked.

Megan nodded.

"Anyone who can manifest Null Psionics Field is a powerful psion, more powerful than most people on my staff. Who knows? Mr. Agerate might have access to greater psionics than I."

"Mom," Ana said, her voice growing serious. "I actually have something that I need help with."

"What is it?" Megan asked.

"I was thinking that we should disrupt the psionic realm," Ana said. "You know, fill it with a little chaos. It would disorient and blind the starmen without harming anyone else."

Megan sighed.

"I can only do that in a small area, Ana," she said.

"Remember what Ninten's dad said?" Ana asked. "If you can expand the power of a PSI bomb…"

 _Okay,_ Jeff thought. _I'm the nerd here, and I'm totally lost._

"Do we _have_ a PSI bomb?" Megan asked.

"Err… yeah," Jeff said, holding out the bomb. "I mean yes ma'am."

Megan laughed.

"So formal! You must be Eagleish." She picked up the bomb, examining it. "It appears that you didn't have many materials to work with. In that case, this is _wonderful._ "

"Really?" Jeff asked, surprise hitting him in the chest like a shove.

"My mom has a habit of exaggerating things," Ana said with a smirk.

Megan rolled her eyes.

"This _is_ well-made," she said. "I know that you students get annoyed when I say 'this is good for a kid', but, well… it is."

"Thanks," Jeff said, trying not to blush.

Megan closed her eyes.

"Okay," she whispered. "The fuse is _there._ "

"Fuse?" Tony asked.

"PSI bombs are different from regular ones," Jeff said. "Both are powered by psionic crystals, but PSI bombs can only be activated by psions. A psion releases the power of a single crystal, which leads to a chain reaction that causes an explosion. That first crystal is basically the fuse."

"Those bombs are simpler than I thought they were," Tony said with a smirk.

"And _that's_ why I could make it in ten minutes," Jeff replied.

"You may want to stand back," Megan said. "If this goes wrong, I'll be fine, but I don't think that you will."

Jeff nodded, more than willing to stand out of the way. Tony and Ana followed him as he walked a safe distance away.

"PK Rockin!" Megan shouted.

The bomb blew open.

 _No!_ Jeff thought. _I did something wrong!_

But instead of a fiery blast, _nothing_ popped out of the bomb. Jeff stood there, dumbfounded. That was when he noticed a certain vibration in his mind. It seemed vaguely like he was listening to rock music.

 _What's happening?_ Jeff thought.

After less than a second, the sensation faded. Jeff looked up to see Megan smiling.

"You're a genius, Ana!" she exclaimed. "You should take my job and I should go back to school."

"Mom…" Ana said with a sheepish smile. "Stop saying that! Besides, it wasn't _me_ who made the bomb."

"It was your idea," Jeff pointed out. "And uh… what did it do?"

"Starmen see in the psionic realm, meaning that they identify people based on their cognitive maps," Ana replied. "My mother used a power that can disrupt the psionic realm, although it can also deal damage. Anyways, her power is special in that it can harness crystal energy to add to its strength."

"Oh," Jeff said. "So she used the power of the bomb to add to her disruption of the psionic realm, which makes it harder for starmen to detect us."

"Exactly!" Ana exclaimed.

"Um… what?" Tony asked.

"Instead of using the bomb to blow something up, Ms. Aniah used it to make it harder to see," Jeff replied. "Basically, she turned a regular bomb into a smoke bomb."

"Oh," Tony said. "Why didn't you just say that?"

"Because it leaves a lot out," Jeff answered. "Ms. Aniah, what's the range on the disruption?"

"With the bomb?" Megan asked. "Miles. Starmen all over won't be able to see."

"That's psyching _amazing!_ " Tony exclaimed. "Sorry about the language, Ms. Aniah."

"No psyching problem!" Megan replied with a wink. "And it _is_ amazing. Ana here is a genius."

Ana rolled her eyes.

"You _really_ don't need to say that, mom."

"All right, I'll stop," Megan said. "I know how… err…"

"What?" Ana asked.

"I don't want to say in front of your friends, or even just to your face. It's rude. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"I don't care about that," Ana said, crossing her arms across her chest. "What were you going to say?"

 _Geez, she's serious about this,_ Jeff thought.

"Ah…" Megan said, seeming hesitant to say any more. "I know how insecure you get."

Ana's face paled.

"You noticed that?" she asked.

"I'm your mother, sweetie," she said. "I pick up on subtle cues. But you know that if you have any issues, you can _always_ talk to me about them, right? I won't judge, no matter what it is. I would prefer that you tell me rather than suffer in silence."

"Yeah, of course," Ana said, looking relieved. "I know that."

 _Where was my dad when I needed emotional support?_ Jeff wondered, starting to feel jealous.

"Also…" Megan said. "I don't suppose that you would know anything about this, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I've been scanning starmen, and many of them seem to be thinking about Ninten. Do you know why?"

 _Ninten?_ Jeff thought in confusion. _Why him?_

Ana flinched.

"No…" she said shakily. "Nothing."

"Ana, I can tell that you're lying," Megan said.

"I… promised," Ana said weakly. "I promised Ninten that I wouldn't tell."

"…Okay," Megan conceded. "But you know to tell me anything that could save lives, even if it breaks a promise. All right?"

"Yeah!" Ana exclaimed. "This isn't anything like that."

 _Ana's mother trusts her so much,_ Jeff thought. _It's lucky that Ms. Aniah received such a wonderful daughter… But then again, her parenting style would probably change if she were dealing with a bratty child._

"All right," Megan said. "Some of the other starmen were thinking about a shipwreck. It looked like an Aphrodite spaceship, colored completely black. To be honest, it looked kind of like a flying saucer."

"I know a shipwreck with a black flying saucer," Tony piped in. "Ninten showed it to me. He said that he didn't understand how a spaceship crashed _inside_ of the force field that covers all of civilized Ceres. The crash is kind of in the middle of nowhere, but it's actually not far from here."

"We should go there," Ana said. "If the starmen are thinking about the wreck, then it must be important."

 _Another adventure?_ Jeff thought. He was starting to get tired of those.

"Remember that I only have the psionic strength to scan weaker starmen," Megan said. "The stronger ones might have been thinking about something else entirely."

"Well, this is our only lead," Ana said.

"True," Megan conceded. "I think that I'm going to keep guarding the Gate. Please be careful, Ana. Even though I know how capable you are, I still worry about you."

"I know," Ana said with a smile. "I promise that I won't die out there."

 _What I would give for their parent-child relationship…_ Jeff thought.

"And Ana?" Megan said. "I know that this is tough with school and everything, but would you mind talking to me and your dad more often? I haven't heard from you in almost a year, and we live five miles away from each other."

 _Or maybe not,_ Jeff thought. _They both seem so busy that they can't spend time together… that's really sad._

"I'll try," Ana said. "I missed you too, mom."

"Thanks," Megan said, "But I know that your dad and I have always needed you more than you've needed us. Now, you three should probably head off. You don't want the starmen to beat you to the wreck, do you? Well, they probably already did, but you want to get there as quickly as possible, right?"

Ana nodded, turning back to Jeff and Tony.

"You guys ready?" she asked.

Jeff nodded slowly.

"Do we have to run again?" he asked.

"Not if Ana can teleport us there," Tony answered.

"I need to be familiar with the location to teleport there," Ana said with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Jeff."

"Like I said, it's close to here," Tony said with a shrug. "It shouldn't be too bad."

 _You both will still make me look like a couch potato with how fit you are,_ Jeff thought with an internal sigh.

"Okay," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

The first thing that Jeff saw upon arriving at the site of the crash was Claus kneeling down.

"Claus!" Jeff shouted. "What are you doing?"

That was when he saw the person lying down next to Claus. Or what was left of a person. Even at this distance, Jeff could see multiple gashes that were probably fatal.

"No…" Tony said. "Claus, who was that?"

"She's still alive," Claus answered softly. "…I think."

Jeff ran up and examined the girl lying on the ground. He wished that he hadn't. Some of her organs were barely held inside of her body, and her face looked creepily pale. A puddle of blood lay under her body.

"Can't you heal her?" Jeff whispered.

"I'm not a psyching psion, okay?" Claus snapped. "I would have healed her if I could."

Tony walked up and examined the girl, and then promptly turned away and retched.

"You haven't seen death before, have you?" Claus asked with a soft chuckle. "It gets worse than this. Much worse. At least this girl is still alive."

 _Worse than this?_ Jeff thought. _How can that be possible?_

"Oh my," Ana said, walking up and looking at the girl. Surprisingly, her face remained neutral. "Lifeup."

Organs looked slightly healthier; color gradually returned to her face. Nothing else happened.

"Can't you do more?" Claus asked.

"No," Ana whispered. "I'm almost out of power and psychometabolism is one of my weaker disciplines. Healing takes a lot of energy out of me."

Claus' mouth tightened.

"You don't look that tired," he said. "I'm sure that you can do more."

"Psych off!" Tony exclaimed. "She's done enough."

 _Uh-oh,_ Jeff thought, secretly agreeing with Tony but not wanting to voice his opinion. _Claus is going to get mad…_

"I'm just sick of noble _psyching_ ladies refusing to push themselves because they've never known hard work!" Claus yelled

Ana's eyes turned dangerous.

"Claus," Jeff whispered. "Please, take that back."

"I will not," Claus said, his iron glare challenging Ana's. "She still has power left within her!"

"Lifeup," Ana hissed. The word contained enough venom to poison a rock, yet Claus seemed unaffected.

The girl once again only looked slightly better.

"There…" Ana whispered, stumbling forward with a triumphant smile. "Is that enough for you, Claus?"

Ana fell to her knees, gritting her teeth.

"Can't… think…" she muttered.

She fell face first into the puddle of blood, her face missing the girl's body by inches. Jeff felt his heart leap.

"Way to _psyching_ go!" Tony exclaimed, glaring at Claus. "Look what you did to her!"

"But…" Claus said, looking dumbfounded. "She seemed healthy enough before…"

"Sometimes, appearances can be deceiving," Jeff whispered. "I think that she was weaker than she let on."

"…I guess," Claus said, looking at Ana's unconscious body in concern. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Well, you psyching _did!_ " Tony exclaimed. "Own up to it!"

"Tony," Jeff whispered, "Please, don't make this worse than it already is."

"No, he's right," Claus said with a heavy sigh. "I messed up by letting my prejudice get in the way. I'll apologize to Ana when she wakes up."

 _If she wakes up,_ Jeff thought. He hadn't read much about psions overexerting themselves, but what he had read didn't give him hope.

Jeff heard a light _thud_ behind him. He turned to see a silver-haired woman stand up, dusting herself off. She looked at Claus and the dying girl in worry.

 _Divine Rulers!_ Jeff thought. _The president is here!_

"Diana," Claus said.

 _Wait, what?_ Jeff thought, a chill running down his spine. _Diana Carpainter is here? Oh my, she looks exactly like the president. I guess that they're twins, but the resemblance is uncanny!_

"You!" Tony exclaimed, pointing his crossbow at Diana. "Are you working with the starmen? We won't let you hurt anyone else!"

He fired his crossbow. The bolt slammed into Diana's chest, piercing skin but not going much further. Diana didn't flinch.

"I guess I deserved that," she whispered, pulling out the arrow. The wound closed as if it had never been there. "Who is that?"

"The one with the organs in her body is Ana," Claus said. "The other is… well, I don't know. I found some starmen trying to take her away, so I killed them. She looked like this from the start."

 _Really?_ Jeff asked. _It seems like he's lying. He can't just casually_ kill _a group of starmen, right?_

Diana walked up to the injured girl, closing her eyes.

"What the psych do you think that you're doing?" Tony shouted. "Stay away from her, bitch!"

Diana ignored him, bending down and touching the girl.

"Healing," she whispered. "Lifeup."

Jeff gasped as the girl's body rushed to reassemble itself. In seconds, she looked like she had never been hurt. Diana offered them a shy smile.

"I am an egoist," she said. "Psychometabolism is my specialty. Healing and polymorphing come easily to me. In fact, I took the shape of a hawk not long ago and started searching the ground for signs of struggle. That's how I found you."

"Why?" Tony whispered, the hostility still not gone from his voice. "After killing so many, why heal her?"

"People change," Diana replied ambiguously. "I cannot help Ana. She channeled too much energy into her psionics. Hopefully, she'll wake up with a bad headache. Otherwise… she might not wake up at all." An arrow of fear pierced Jeff's heart as Diana shook her head. "She probably won't die. It doesn't look critical. Still, I didn't think that someone like her would suffer from overchanneling. Generally, you only see wilders pulling stupid stunts like that."

Claus looked guilty as Tony shot him a hard glare that seemed to say, _this is all your fault_.

"…Goodbye," Diana said, reluctantly turning away. "I have more starmen to kill."

"Wait!" Jeff exclaimed.

Diana turned into a hawk and flew off into the distance.

"…What do we do with Ana and the other girl?" Jeff finished.

"We take them back to the school," Tony said. "The nurse can help them."

 _I hope,_ his tone seemed to indicate.

The formerly injured girl sat up with a moan. She opened her eyes. For the first time, Jeff focused on her face. She possessed deep blue eyes like Paula and Ana, but her hair was pink rather than blond.

"Where… am I?" she asked, looking at the people around her.

"Hey," Jeff said. "What's your name?"

"Kumatora," the girl replied.

"Sounds foreign," Tony said.

Kumatora's eyes locked on Claus.

"Aren't you supposed to have blond hair?" she asked. "I just feel like you should have blond hair. And why do you wear an eyepatch? It looks silly."

 _Okay, she's delirious,_ Jeff thought. But he looked up to see Claus stunned by surprise.

"Claus?" Tony asked. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" Claus answered, although he didn't _seem_ fine. "It's nothing."

 _What?_ Jeff thought. _Nothing is making sense today._

"Where do you come from?" Tony asked Kumatora.

"I don't know," she answered, cocking her head in thought. "Where _do_ I come from? …Huh. I can't remember anything except for my name."

 _Well she's either a pro actress or an amnesiac,_ Jeff thought.

"Were you in that ship?" Claus asked, pointing to a black object in the near distance.

"…Yeah," Kumatora said. "I don't know for sure, but that just seems… right."

"But that spaceship has been there for at least a few months," Claus said. "There's no way that you could survive without food or water."

"Huh," Kumatora said. "I was out for months? That's… pretty cool, actually."

She flashed a grin that made Jeff feel uncomfortable. To him, it seemed creepy rather than cool.

"What are we going to do with her?" Jeff asked.

"We take her back to the school!" Tony exclaimed.

"But they'll only help people with psionic powers," Jeff pointed out.

"…Oh," Tony replied with a defeated sigh. "What _should_ we do?"

"I detect her psionic aura," Claus said. "She has psionic powers of some kind."

Tony cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

"Lucky you," he told Kumatora.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed. "So I get to go to school? That sounds fun."

"Said nobody ever," Claus muttered under his breath.

 _Hey, I think that school is fun!_ Jeff thought.

"For starters, we should take you to the school nurse," Tony said. "We need to get help for Ana anyways. Let's go from there."

"Got it," Kumatora said, yet another smile breaking out onto her face.

 _I'm going to have to get used to this girl's sunny attitude,_ Jeff thought as he took off towards the school. _It's honestly freaking me out a bit._

* * *

"I guess Diana was right," Ninten said, looking the door in front of them. "This _is_ the bunker. That mind-reading power of hers amazes me."

 _It terrifies me,_ Ness thought. _She's so good that she can even see aged thoughts in their original location. She uses that to track people. Once the huntress gets a whiff of your scent, you will never find rest in your lifetime. I guess Alsom Garrickson learned that the hard way._

"Ninten!"

Ness turned to see Poo running down the hall. He looked unsettled.

"Oh, hello, Ness," Poo said, his tone impeccably polite. "I need to show you something to make sure that I'm not crazy."

 _What?_ Ness thought.

"All right," Ninten said, seeming to harbor no reservations about Poo's odd request.

 _Err… I guess I'll come along?_ Ness thought.

Poo lead them through various hallways until he eventually turned a corner, halting as his face paled and his eyes bugged out of his head.

"Here it is," Poo whispered.

Ness walked around the corner and saw what lay in the hallway.

 _No…_ Ness thought. _This… isn't real. This can't be happening!_

Ness ran forward, halting at the body that lay in the middle of the hallway. That blond hair… that chubby build… _Pokey…_

 _Please…_ Ness thought. _This… isn't… real…_

Ness forced himself to look at the knife in Pokey's chest. There was surprisingly little blood. Ness put two fingers up to the side of Pokey's neck to search for a pulse.

Nothing.

 _No…_

Ness closed his eyes. When he would open them, they would show him the _real_ world, not this wretched nightmare. Ness drew a shaky breath as his eyes snapped back open.

Nothing changed.

 _Please…_

Ness touched two fingers to Pokey's neck once more. This time, he would have a pulse. He _had_ to have a pulse.

Still nothing.

 _No,_ Ness thought. _Not this. Not here. Not now._

He looked wildly around the room, searching for a sign that Pokey was still alive.

His eyes only registered the red moonlight that shone on Pokey's body.

 _THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!_

 **End of Part 1**

* * *

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 **Author's Note:**

 **I hope that you liked the ending to this part. :) I've had this last scene in my mind for months, so it feels great to get it out.**

 **But onto the point. The next few chapters fall _between_ parts, if that makes any sense. I call them interludes (which is a name and concept that I stole, but I don't care because I'm not making money off of this). They're flashbacks for various characters besides the three main POV ones. I know that some of you hate flashbacks and think "Is this going to be on the test? Do I really have to know this? Why does it matter?" For you people, I tried to add in a bit of context to the world as well. So if you don't care about the characters, you can focus on that. Also, a lot of questions are answered in these interludes.**

 **List of POV interlude chapters (in order): Pokey, Ana, Lucas, Diana.**


	18. Interlude: Pokey

**Happy Saturday, everyone! :) So this is the first of the four interlude chapters, and you probably noticed that it's really short. These kinds of chapters can vary in length, ones like these are quite short while the Diana chapter is the longest one I've ever written.**

 **I really don't have anything else to say, so I'm just going to answer the reviews.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **crabbyTomato:** **Yep, that's just Ness. :) He has a pretty strong moral conscience, although most of my characters do. His is just quite a bit... different from the others (and then there's Ninten on the opposite end of the spectrum). Yeah, privacy is a very real issue, and in more ways than one vigilante huntress. ;) Heh, that statement about you being the couch itself cracked me up. xD I'm fine with physical activity so long as it is not forced upon me (which is why I'm not on any sort of team... I need to choose my own schedule).**

 **And Ana supports more people than just Ness. ;) Ninten and Paula rely on her as well. I'm glad that you like Kumatora! :) She's one of the characters that I haven't fully figured out yet, so I'll see how it goes. And Lucas is going to take a while to show up (sorry!).**

 **DarkFoxKit:** **Frankly, I was getting into the stories of too many characters and I need to... remove a few. D: But that ending seemed rather meaningful to you, which makes me happy. :) A lot of Ness' fear of Diana is instinctual, so he doesn't always show it (because he knows that Diana won't actually hurt him). Well, Kumatora in the games is pretty upbeat, if less cheery. I've written cynical Kuma twice so I wanted to try something else. :)**

 **A Fan:** **Yep! :) I'm doing more interludes in the future, and Poo will be one of them. I know, right? It feels like I didn't accomplish much over those 88k words. xD With the ANs, it's probably more like 70-75k of actual writing, but that's still about the length of a typical novel. Well, she doesn't** ** _literally_** **have two lines. :) She just has two that matter in any sort of way.**

 **._. That Ace Attorney pun... xD so bad and yet so good (as most puns are). Sorry to bust your theory, but Ness would have recognized Dynaldas. Bright red jewel is eye-catching. I said that there was surprisingly little blood because of something in Ace Attorney, actually. In one of the trials (3-5), someone gets impaled and the investigators say that most of the external bleeding happens after the sword is pulled out. But Ness doesn't know that. D: And really? I think that I made Kumatora much more cheery than in City of Progress.**

 **And hey, I always love hearing your random thoughts about this story! :)**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:** **In high school, it depends on the teacher. Some make the make-up tests just as easy, and others don't even allow you to get full credit if you miss school for any reason on the test day. I was writing a short Claus POV a couple days ago and it hit me just how messed up he is. D: He's dramatic and a little bit deluded. As for Diana and Claus... err... how do I say this? It's not coming soon. xD It's not all that important, honestly.**

 **Yeah, Megan Aniah is a nice change from pretty much every other character in this story (they're all so serious! xD). Uh... this might be the first time I've given someone amnesia. I blame Ninten in Time Distorter on Fox. :P And "powerful" was what I was going for in that last scene, so I'm glad to see that it didn't fail completely.**

 **Hmm... well, I'm not sure if the Lucas chapter is good or not. It's pretty dark, though (I just can't help myself xD). Yep, I like psychic warriors as well. :) I stole the idea from Dungeons and Dragons, and they're my favorite class to play in that game. There are some pretty cheesy exploits that let psywarriors do stupid things (and I might even add one of them to this story). And I don't think it's this way for everyone, but I suddenly got way less shy around the time that I turned 15. Something just... clicked.**

 **When I hit high school, time seemed to pass more quickly. My classes never felt long to me. *shrugs* And the author releases those books every other year at the soonest (he works on other stuff too... he's kind of a robot :P), so it would take 16 more years for book 10 to come out. See you later! :)**

 **adricarra:** **Yeah, a lot of Diana's personality has to do with her lack of paranoia. Most murders get so nervous that they can't worry about morality, but Diana's pretty safe from the law. Yep, Lucas and Kuma know each other. :) That relationship is something that I** ** _will_** **delve into relatively soon. Aw, no sympathy for Pokey even after he started to change? D: Maybe this chapter will change that... but maybe it won't. Some people just cannot feel bad for that kid.**

* * *

 **Two Years Ago**

"Please," Pokey moaned. "Please, stop!"

He looked up to his father's stern face. No sign of mercy shone through. Aloysius Minch was not a man capable of feeling empathy.

Pokey howled as his father's meaty hand made contact with his fragile face. Blinded by pain, Pokey rolled on the wooden floor of his house. He looked up to see a display of gaudy decorations above him. He hated how father always hoarded expensive junk.

"Why?" Pokey demanded. "Why?"

Aloysius' face tightened. Pokey knew that mannerism of his, and he feared it more than anything else in the world. Bawling, he tried to run upstairs. However, his father was faster.

" _I_ don't like your tone," Aloysius hissed as he grabbed Pokey's shirt.

 _Please…_ Pokey thought, freezing as he stared at his father's bulging eye. _Please… not this…_

Aloysius shoved his boot in Pokey's face. Pokey tumbled to the ground, fear replaced by rage. He looked down at the floor and saw a sticky, red liquid dripping from his nose.

 _I'm bleeding,_ he thought. _Father hasn't beaten me this badly in years._

Pokey knew that if he wanted to stand up, his time was now.

"It's not my psyching fault!" he exclaimed. "None of this is my fault…"

"I am your father!" Aloysius boomed, "And you will _not_ speak to me that way!"

The angry tone of his father's voice was enough to reduce Pokey to tears. He had been conditioned to know that his father's anger usually resulted in more punishment for him.

"You sniveling coward," Aloysius said with a bark of laughter. "At least better a coward than a _failure,_ right? Oh wait…" His smile turned malicious.

 _It's not my fault!_ Pokey wanted to scream. _I know that you wanted me to have psionic powers, but it's random who gets them!_

"Ah, Pokey," Aloysius said with a savage smile, clearly having noticed his son's inner torment. "You should learn to fess up to your mistakes."

 _Just like you never do?_ Pokey thought with a sneer.

Aloysius' mouth tightened once more.

"Don't you snarl at me!" he roared, stomping over and slapping Pokey on the face.

The sting of his father's disapproval hurt Pokey more than the pain.

"Please…" Pokey whimpered. "I wanted to make you happy. I wanted to get psionic powers. More than anything…" tears blurred his vision. That fantasy had been so close…

He had daydreamed of gaining psionic powers more often than he would ever admit. His father had always seen him as a failure, between his weight and his lack of natural intelligence. The hypocrisy in his father's accusations always irked Pokey, but he still _tried_ to please his father. Ever since birth, he had craved his father's smiles. More than anything, he wanted to feel like he was loved.

Those smiles almost never came. Instead, Aloysius focused on every possible flaw in his son, often driving Pokey into a spree of binge eating. He never felt as _horrible_ as he did when stuffing himself with cookies, but at least the sweetness took the edge off of the pain.

However, the cookies ended up being a false friend. They always tasted fake, and they left him with a stomach ache that a drug addict in withdrawal would envy. Pokey remembered lying on his bed for hours, hopelessly trying to resist the urge to barf as his stomach heaved. Yet even after all of his pain, he always came crawling back to his father eventually. He _needed_ someone to take care of him, no matter how much pain that person caused.

After he did, Aloysius twisted his stories to make it seem like _Pokey_ was always the one at fault. Pokey would have to swallow his anger as he apologized for something that he didn't do. He remembered wanting to lash out at vases and paintings, but even punching his pillow in frustration was seen as a sign of rebellion. After a while, Aloysius would convince Pokey that everything really _was_ his fault, which made him feel guilty. Whenever he felt guilty, Pokey wanted _so badly_ to please his father but lacked the energy to do anything productive. So he once again turned to junk food.

This cycle continued, and eventually Pokey thought that it was all his fault for not being a good enough son. After all, that goody-two-shoes kid Ness was always so _kind_ and _respectful_ and _smart._ He made Pokey look like the remnants of yesterday's dinner by comparison. Surely Pokey could do something to prove his worth, right?

That was why he felt so excited going into the awakening. Upon seeing the massive crystal shard at the top of Onett's hill, Pokey felt giddy with excitement. The scientists called it a special type of meteorite, but it always seemed like something else to Pokey. The purple, reflective sheen of the crystal couldn't _possibly_ be a product of space. He agonized over the wait, not able to stop creating fantasies. Maybe if he became a psion, his father would smile. Maybe if he became a psion, he could feel good about _something_.

Maybe if he became a psion, his mother would come back.

Yet when he looked into the crystal shard and saw his own reflection, Pokey felt… nothing. No moment of enlightenment, no powers, nothing. The next thing that he felt was anger, anger at the shouts that alerted him to Ness' newly gained powers.

That brought him back to the present, where he tried not to cower under his father's stern glare.

"If you really wanted to make me happy, then you must feel horrible that you didn't," Aloysius hissed.

 _But… it isn't my fault!_ Pokey almost shouted. _It's just random chance…_

"Apologize!" Pokey's father snapped. "Now!"

"…I didn't do anything wrong," Pokey whispered.

He immediately regretted those words. His father's fiery eyes evoked a primal sense of fear in him.

"No no _no_!" Pokey shouted, scrambling away. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… please, NO!"

"Too late," Aloysius said, his voice frighteningly cold.

He walked over and picking up a rolling pin off of the kitchen counter. Pokey shuddered in fear. Painful memories flooded through his mind, memories of neglect and beatings.

"Please…" Pokey begged. "I'm sorry… please…"

Pokey's father smacked him with the rolling pin once, twice, three times.

"Our lineage is noble!" Aloysius shouted. "Our family gave the universe almost a dozen emperors! And _you_ have to mess everything up by not activating psionic powers!"

 _You don't have psionic powers either…_ Pokey thought weakly.

"We moved from Ceres to Earth so that you wouldn't even have to travel to get tested!" his father continued. "And how do you repay our kindness?"

 _Not… my… fault…_ Pokey thought, too weak to verbalize anything.

"You failed us all!" Pokey's father shouted. "I should have taken your brother instead of you! You're so useless that I shouldn't have bothered to care for you at all after the divorce."

Pokey gritted his teeth. Luckily, his father didn't notice.

"Do you know what noble families did with children that didn't have psionic powers?" Aloysius asked. "They killed them! The empire was a cutthroat place, where the most powerful psions competed in political games that put our little republic to shame. There was no room for those without psionic powers. That was the way that it was always _supposed_ to be. Under that system, I would have killed you! Feel lucky that you're a part of this inferior universe."

 _The times of the empire were called "The Dark Ages" for a reason!_ Pokey thought.

"Well, under that system, your father would have killed you!" Pokey retaliated.

Aloysius' eyes grew wide with shock.

"How _dare_ you say that to me?" he asked, slamming the rolling pin into Pokey's back. "How _dare_ you!"

 _It's true,_ Pokey thought weakly, trying to focus on something other than the pain.

"Ah, _this_ is the son that I get," Aloysius muttered. "Psychless."

Upon hearing the world "psychless," Pokey's heart filled with an indescribably _awful_ feeling. He melted onto the floor, losing all motivation to do _anything._ He couldn't think; he couldn't feel. He could only lie there, knowing that every wall that he had ever built had just been broken down.

"Well?" Pokey's father asked. " _Aren't_ you psychless?"

Pokey whimpered. This time, he didn't feel helpless. He felt angry. He _so badly_ wanted to snap at his father for saying that horrible, _horrible_ thing about him, but he knew that he would only receive more punishment if he talked back. Pokey needed someone else to direct his anger at. But whom?

 _Ness,_ Pokey thought. _This is all his fault. He got psionic powers and I didn't. This isn't father's fault. He loves me…_

Pokey desperately tried to convince himself of that as he looked into his Aloysius' merciless eyes.

"…Yes," Pokey whispered lifelessly. "Yes, it's my fault. My fault and Ness'."

In that moment, Pokey heard something inside of him break.


	19. Interlude: Ana

**Since last chapter was really short, here's another one. :) I don't really have anything to say today (except for moaning about how infuriating online applications are when they don't work), so I'm just going to respond to reviews and then delve straight into the chapter.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **crabbyTomato:** **Yes! I converted someone to the Pokey sympathy group! :) Yeah, Aloysius is pretty evil. :( And part of the reason that Pokey wanted to make his father happy was** ** _because_** **Aloysius was so abusive. As humans, we crave what we do not have.**

 **Yeah, all coping mechanisms are pretty similar at their core. From what I understand, life becomes so painful/stressful that people feel like they need to run away and distract themselves with something powerful. For a kid like Pokey, sugar is powerful. For someone else, it might be drugs. And I honestly wasn't all that happy with the way that the last chapter turned out, so I was kinda surprised to hear that it affected you so deeply. It makes me feel good that I was able to express Pokey's pain. So many people irl have similar stories...**

 **Orangeflight of ShadowClan:** **Thanks! :) It does make me feel good that I was able to get my point across (especially since I wasn't feeling confident about that chapter). I'm glad that you made a connection with the psychless thing. Yeah, that's a lot of the reason. It's a pretty horrible thing to say to anyone (just like a racial slur), but it's** ** _especially_** **painful to Pokey because of his past. I'm glad that you can empathize with Pokey. :) I feel like too many people irl suffered through similar circumstances and are judged harshly for it. :( And thanks for spotting the typos! With three waves of editing, I can usually catch them all (heh, pokemon :D), but my 2nd edit was at 1 in the morning, so I guess it didn't qualify. xD**

 **It's just one teacher who does that. It still annoys me, though. Does he really want us coming in with spreadable viruses? Yep, Claus is a little messed up (as you'll see in upcoming chapters). For the Claus/Diana connection, I'm planning on revealing it in the next set of interludes (so like a full book from now D:). Hmm... I guess I can just tell you now, since it's not a big deal. Claus meets Diana but thinks that she's Minerva, so Claus tries to kill her. Diana beats up Claus and then he realizes that she's not Minerva, meaning that he stops trying to kill her.**

 **My favorite characters are the ones who are pretty funny/lighthearted at first, but then they get serious when they have to. Because if you think about it, nobody's comedic 24/7 and I want my characters to be more than comic relief. Yeah, I'm going to try to do some interesting things with Kuma's amnesia (even though I have to many other characters to develop... blargh!). I was the same way where I had a hard time breaking habits and stuff, but I just... changed. I didn't even make a conscious effort. The biggest difference was that I stopped worrying less in general. Before, I couldn't stand any sort of ambiguity (meaning that I had to check over and over to make** ** _sure_** **that I knew what I was supposed to do). But now... It doesn't faze me as much. *shrugs***

* * *

 **Four Years Ago**

Ana stood in a field of green grass while the sun shone daintily overhead. She wore her favorite pair of trousers, which had been ripped multiple times from wear and tear. Ana figured that she should throw them out, but she wasn't the kind of person who parted with things, physical or otherwise, easily.

Ana yawned, tapping her foot impatiently. Ninten said that he would meet her at 2:00 in the afternoon, which was 30 minutes ago.

 _Seriously,_ she thought. _Would it kill him to be on time for once?_

Right then, Ninten's figure materialized on the other side of the meadow. He ran towards Ana, and even in the distance she could make out the huge grin on his face. Classic.

After about a minute, Ninten arrived at Ana's location. He walked up and embraced her, which sent a warm feeling through Ana's system.

"Thank you for coming here, Ann," he whispered. "And I'm sorry that I'm late."

Even though they were the same age, Ana treated Ninten like a younger brother (although they probably got along better than most siblings did). Ana found that she couldn't stay annoyed at him for long. She hugged him back, allowing a smile to come to her lips.

"Don't worry about it," she replied.

"Thanks, Ann," Ninten said, his voice sounding so _vibrant._ "Most people have gotten tired of my tardiness by now. It really means a lot to me that you're willing to forgive so easily."

Due to his lightheartedness, Ana often forgot how educated Ninten was. What other 11 year old used his kind of vocabulary by _choice?_

"Aww, it's nothing," Ana replied, feeling herself blush.

 _Wait,_ she thought. _I got annoyed at Ninten for being late, and now I'm arguing to his face that I didn't mind at all? How did that happen?_

Ninten released Ana, still wearing a huge smile.

"I'm so lucky to have you, Ann," he said.

 _No, I'm lucky to have you,_ Ana thought. _Your sunny attitude picks me up every day._

She wanted to say those words, but they died in her throat.

"How was… school today?" Ana asked.

Ninten rolled his eyes, but didn't drop his upbeat posture.

"It was pretty rough," he replied. "Homeschooling sucks. Today, my dad taught me about the history of Aphrodite. Seriously? Who cares?"

"Well, I think it's kind of interesting how an entire alien race just… got up and disappeared," Ana replied.

"You think that the Osohe were real?" Ninten asked. "They're from fairy tales."

"Just like starman attacks?"

"Touché."

Ana smiled. She was a competitive person by nature and therefore reveled in the moments where Ninten conceded his argument… which happened surprisingly often. Ana didn't know how he could admit his faults so easily. Whenever Ana saw something wrong about herself, she preferred to patch it up rather than show it to the world.

"Scientists have also found evidence of psionic relics on Aphrodite that match our technology but date thousands of years ago," Ana said. "At least, that's what my dad told me."

"Well, I still don't care," Ninten replied. "It's hard for me to learn about a planet in another _galaxy._ I mean, at least Vulcan is within a few light years from us."

Ana chuckled. Even though Ninten's words weren't really humorous, his exasperated yet cheery attitude made her laugh.

"Did you practice swordplay today?" Ana asked hopefully.

Ninten's eyes locked onto the practice swords at Ana's feet.

"No," he answered hesitantly.

Ana sighed. Ninten was a terrible lair.

"All right, all right!" Ninten exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "I did! We can still spar, though."

Ana shook her head.

"You must be exhausted," she said, her overprotective senses kicking in.

"Nah," Ninten said, shaking his head. "I got less than a dozen bruises this time. Father went pretty light today."

 _I would fear one of your father's lessons more than boot camp,_ Ana thought. _That man is psyching intense!_

"Ninten," Ana said. "Don't feel like you have to do this for me. I don't have to spar with you. I can… go to some of the other kids."

"You said before that you didn't want to practice with them because they can't even put up a half-decent fight," Ninten replied with a knowing smile. "And we haven't got a chance to spar in almost a week."

"That's because you've been so busy!" Ana exclaimed. "I swear, your father is cruel."

"Ann," Ninten said. "You know who I am."

Ana nodded, forcing herself not to gulp.

"I still have a hard time believing that you descended from Emperor George," she said. "Well, I guess I have a hard time believing that someone like your father descended from Emperor George."

Ninten pulled Dynaldas out of his pocket. The jeweled hilt shone the color of blood.

"My dad says that Empress Mary's soul is stored in this knife," Ninten said. "I don't know whether to believe him or not."

"I know what your mean," Ana replied. "Your father is so practical that when he says something outlandish, I get the feeling that it _must_ be true."

"…I guess it doesn't matter," Ninten said, putting the knife back into his pocket. "Father is trying to protect me. I'm sure you know how many people want to capture the descendant of an emperor, especially one that could possess psionic powers. The empirists think that I could _be_ the next emperor."

Ana couldn't help but laugh. Ninten? An emperor? She pictured him in regal clothes and started laughing again. It just seemed so wrong.

"I know," Ninten said with a grin. "It's ridiculous to think that an idiot like _me_ could ever be an emperor."

Ana blinked. From anyone else, she would have taken those words as a passive-aggressive attack, but Ninten seemed to genuinely mean what he said.

"Uh… you do know that you're actually pretty smart, right?" Ana asked.

Ninten raised an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding?" he replied.

"Take any academic subject and you're far above par," Ana said.

"All right," Ninten said. "Let's take math. Today, father taught me how to model population curves with differential equations. It's not really useful, but it's also not that hard."

"Ninten," Ana said. "That's Calculus. Most educated children don't learn that until they go to high school. I only know what 'differential equations' are because my dad always talks about nerdy stuff like that."

"…Really?" Ninten asked.

"Well, let's just say that you're on par with a Dalaamian," Ana said with a smile. "They put a lot of emphasis on math in Asia."

"But father doesn't," Ninten replied.

"Exactly," Ana said. "You just pick up on things quickly. It doesn't make you more worth as a human being or anything like that, but you _are_ smart."

"That feels so weird to hear," Ninten said with a chuckle. "It seems that both of my parents have devoted their life to making it clear that I'm an idiot. But hey, their words push me to go further."

"I don't think that they do," Ana replied. "At least, I think that you would be better off if they rewarded you for your work every once in a while."

Ninten shrugged.

"I don't really mind," he said. "Father means well, and mother's just a little confused."

"Just because someone means well doesn't mean that they're helping you," Ana said.

"It doesn't really matter," Ninten replied. "I can take care of myself. Well… I'm still kind of a weakling, but I have you to take care of me. You've always been my knight in shining armor, Ann."

"I try," Ana said with a smile. "I'm good at hitting things."

"So…" Ninten started. "Do you want to spar?"

"Not if you already practiced with your father," Ana replied. "I swear, he works you too hard to begin with."

"I've seen you fight until you literally fall over from exhaustion," Ninten said flatly. "I'm fine."

 _That's different,_ Ana thought. _I'm different. As strong as Ninten is, he's quite fragile. I'm more like a bull, plowing forward without worrying about the consequences._

"I don't think so," Ana said. "You need to rest."

"I think that you're just scared," Ninten said with a devious smile.

"WHAT?" Ana asked. "Me? Scared of you?"

"Scared of losing," Ninten clarified. "You've always been so competitive, Ann."

"Of course I'm not scared!" Ana exclaimed. "I beat you nine times out of ten!"

"Then surely you can beat me once more," Ninten said.

 _He's trying to goad me,_ Ana thought. _He knows that I really want to spar, so he's trying to manipulate my emotions so that I'll give into what I want._

Adrenaline raced through Ana's heart. She wanted to wipe the smug grin off of Ninten's face, and it _had_ been a while since she had sparred with him.

"Fine," Ana said with a scowl, tossing Ninten a practice sword. "But I'm not going to take this seriously. You shouldn't push yourself, after all."

Ninten grinned as he snatched the sword from the air. Ana opened with a slash, which Ninten easily parried.

"Come on, Ann!" Ninten shouted. "You can do better than that!"

 _I can,_ Ana thought. _But I don't want to._

Ninten leaned forward and tried to poke Ana's chest. She slapped his sword out of the way with her own. Ninten pulled his body back as quickly as a viper, giving Ana no time to punish Ninten's aggression. She lashed out at Ninten's legs instead, once again not putting much swing into it. The blow glanced off of Ninten's sword with a metallic _clang!_

"I thought that you wanted to be like the knights of old, Ann," Ninten taunted, his grin taking off some of the sting of his words. "You can't do it like that!"

 _Just watch me!_ Ana thought, forgetting about holding back.

She smashed her sword against Ninten's. The impact almost disarmed him, but Ninten managed to hold onto his blade as he hopped back. Ana lunged forward, attacking with a flurry of strokes. Ninten parried each one. After Ana's last attack, Ninten leaned in and poked at her leg. Ana barely managed to leap backwards in time to avoid getting stabbed.

"Not good enough," Ninten said, wagging his finger like a teacher.

"I'm trying my hardest," Ana muttered.

"Are you?" Ninten asked.

"Yes!" Ana exclaimed.

"Well, I'm not," Ninten replied with a smirk. "Maybe it's true. Maybe only boys can be warriors."

That was the last straw for Ana. She knew in the back of her mind that Ninten was trying to get her to fight at her full potential by goading her. He knew that she enjoyed a battle most when she could invest her emotions in it. Even knowing that, Ana couldn't help but bristle at Ninten's comment.

She felt adrenaline disperse throughout her veins. Ana let out a snarl as she lashed out with her sword, forcing Ninten to jump back. Fiery rage sprouted in her heart.

"What did you say?" She roared.

Ninten smiled triumphantly.

"I said that only boys can be warriors," Ninten repeated.

"Tell that to my blade!" Ana yelled as she lunged forward, attacking with another flurry of slashes.

Ana immersed herself in the battle. She focused on the ring of metal on metal as rage propelled her forward. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

 _I am the warrior._

Ana swung her sword at Ninten with the force of a battering ram. She relished seeing Ninten grimace as he once again barely managed to hang onto his sword. Ana felt like she was summoning a primal part of herself that guided her through combat. Rage simmered comfortably in her stomach. She didn't notice the burning of her lungs or the pounding of her heart. In her immersed state, victory was the only thing that mattered.

After a few more attacks, Ana spotted an opening. Without hesitating, she swung her practice sword as hard as she could at Ninten's face. The blade connected with his head, sending vibrations through Ana's hands.

 _Take that!_ Ana thought, pumping a fist in the air.

Ninten crumpled to the ground.

Ana gasped, waking up from her single-minded focus on battle. She knelt down, looking at Ninten's face. What she saw horrified her.

She had left a small dent in his forehead.

Ana screamed. The dent didn't look fatal, but that didn't matter. She had come close to killing her best friend! A little further, and she would have squished his brains.

 _WHY?_ Ana screamed inside of her head. _I never wanted to hurt him… I didn't even want to fight him… Ninten, please forgive me!_

Ana caressed Ninten's face, feeling guilt so powerful that she found it difficult to stand up. Ana _knew_ that she needed to tell somebody about the incident, but she didn't want to leave Ninten for a second. She hesitantly pulled herself to her feet. Ana looked back toward Podunk, imagining how people would react when she told them what happened. The scornful looks that she anticipated made her want to sit back down with Ninten. She couldn't bear their disapproval!

 _Stop being a baby,_ she told herself harshly. _I got Ninten into this mess; I can get him out of it._

Ana knew who she could go to. Her mother was both empathetic and a psion. She could heal Ninten right up and wouldn't get angry at Ana, even though she probably deserved to be shouted at.

 _This was caused by me losing myself,_ Ana thought. _When I immerse myself in combat, I lose perspective about what matters. When I focus on a single issue alone, I cannot understand the implications of my actions. When I let rage control me, I can't stop myself from harming those I love._

 _Never again will I fight this way._

* * *

Ana didn't remember anything about getting her mother and healing Ninten. However, she _did_ remember the relief that she felt when he woke up.

"Ninten!" Ana exclaimed, running forward and hugging him. "Ninten… I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Ann," Ninten said, his soothing voice warming her heart.

 _No it's not!_ Ana wanted to shout. _I could have killed you!_

"Ninten just had a concussion," Megan said, favoring both of them with a smile. "He's fine now. I assume that nobody else should know about this?"

"Yes, please," Ninten said. "I don't think that either of us want the news getting out."

"Yeah, I would do almost anything to avoid Ninten's parents finding out about this," Ana said, releasing Ninten.

"I don't think that they would care much," Ninten said. "My dad would say that it's my fault for not being strong enough. Well… actually, my mom might judge you, Ann. I just don't think that she would feel bad for me."

"Well, I think that you two can deal with the rest on your own," Megan said. "Ana probably doesn't want her mom hovering over her anyways."

Ana blushed. She always got embarrassed whenever she expressed strong emotions in front of her parents, even though she knew that she shouldn't feel that way. Megan smiled and teleported away.

"I'm sorry, Ann," Ninten said.

Ana blinked.

" _You're_ sorry?" Ana asked. "I gave you a concussion!"

"I taunted you," Ninten whispered, looking wistfully off into the distance. "It wasn't your fault."

"Okay," Ana said. "Maybe you shouldn't have tried to provoke me, but I still knocked you out! I'm not some sort of pawn, Ninten. I knew what you were doing and made the conscious choice to fight harder. Your concussion is my fault and nobody else's."

"It's still partly my fault," Ninten said. "You can't deny that I provoked you."

"Just because you provoked me doesn't mean that what follows is your fault," Ana replied. "My wrong decision was wrong no matter the circumstances."

Ninten grinned.

"You took that from your parents, didn't you?"

 _Yes._

"It doesn't matter where I took it from," Ana responded. "It might be easier to forgive me because I was provoked, but the choice to fight you was mine and mine alone."

Ninten's eyes widened slightly.

"You really… don't think that it's my fault?" he asked softly.

"No, I don't," Ana replied, putting an arm around Ninten's shoulder. "It's completely my fault, and I'm sorry for it."

A tear came to each of Ninten's eyes.

"What did I ever do to deserve you, Ann?" he asked. "You bear with my tardiness, you support me when I mope, and you can make me feel better in any situation."

 _Wait, what?_ Ana thought. _Is he… praising me?_

Ninten embraced Ana once again. Ana tried not to act _too_ surprised as she hugged him back. Seriously, what was it with Ninten and hugs?

"And when I act weak, you're here to support me," Ninten continued. "When I need to cry on your shoulder, you let me. I take so much from you and give nothing back."

 _Um…_ Ana thought. _Is he serious?_

"Ninten, I really enjoy spending time with you too," Ana said lamely. She wanted to express just _how much_ he meant to her, but she couldn't find a way to verbalize her emotions.

"Thanks, Ann," Ninten said. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Not get concussions, maybe?" Ana asked innocently.

Ninten laughed, holding Ana more tightly.

"At least you admit your mistakes," Ninten said. "Just once, I would like to hear my mother say that she's sorry."

 _Huh,_ Ana thought. _My mom apologizes all the time. To be fair, she also messes up a lot. She's kind of accident-prone._

"I'm sorry that your parents don't support you," Ana said. "But I'm here. I promise that I won't ever let my rage control me again."

Ninten let out a sigh of relief.

"I feel better just being with you," he said. "It feels like all of my bad emotions just went on strike."

"Well, when you cry, you're literally expelling negative emotions from your body," Ana said. "Well, you're expelling the chemicals that signal those emotions."

"Nerd," Ninten teased amiably, wiping the tears away from his face.

Ana laughed as she released Ninten.

"Says the person who knows how to model population curves by using differential equations," she replied.

"I guess we can both be nerds together," Ninten said with a radiant smile.

Ana nodded. Even after the catastrophe today, Ninten forgave her. Her mother didn't get mad. It almost made it seem like it was _okay_ to mess up, even about something big.

"Do you want to eat dinner at my place?" Ana asked. "My dad should be preparing something right now."

"Sounds great!" Ninten exclaimed. "I'll race you there!"

Before Ana could respond, Ninten took off running. Ana shook her head, taking off after him.

But even though she disapproved of Ninten's juvenile "race," she couldn't stop a smile from coming to her lips.


	20. Interlude: Lucas

**Hey, everyone. I had to scramble to get this chapter out today. I'm aiming to get the Diana interlude out by Sunday (wish me luck haha). After that, I might not update for a while because of college apps and stuff. I'm also working on trying to get** **A Harmless Game** **into a form where I can potentially sell it to an online journal (so I would have to remove all of the EB references, obviously). I'm probably going to get rejected but oh well. I want to hear what professionals have to say about my writing. :)**

 **I also wanted to say that the relationship between Lucas and Claus is NOT healthy. If any of you have a relationship like theirs, it's a problem.**

 **Well, happy October! :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **A Fan:** **My mind wasn't sure whether to laugh or cringe at that pun, so it kind of did both. xD ._.**

 **Paula-Ana:** **Yes, fun stuff is fun. :) Glad that you liked all of the info (part of the plan was to balance world info with character backstory) and I'm glad that you have such a good friend! :D**

 **adricarra:** **Yes! Success! Made someone else feel bad for Pokey! :D I kinda know that feeling about not being able to talk back but really wanting to... both my mom and I are rather... spirited, so things get ugly when we butt heads (which thankfully doesn't happen often xD).**

 **Yeah, Ninten doesn't really seem much like an emperor, huh? He's a pretty down-to-earth (or down-to-Ceres, I guess) kind of person. Still, If I had to pick one character from this fic to be an emperor it would probably either be him, Mr. Agerate, or Megan Aniah.**

 **Orangeflight of ShadowClan:** **I just imagine how Ninten would react to being called "cute." xD I think that it would involve a scowl. :P And yeah, Ninten seems like the anti-emperor. You don't generally see blunt, emotional people in positions of power. And yeah, I always find ways to add in Megan because I really like her personality. :) Yep, this is the lightest interlude. This one and Diana's are pretty dark.**

 **Like all discrimination, the judging based on psionic powers thing is really stupid. But if you think about it, it makes more sense than some of the things that bigots in our society complain about. I mean, at least psions can** ** _do_** **more things. Ah... I was up at 1 playing online games with a friend. I don't know if you've ever had that experience, but it can be hard to put those things down.**

 **Yeah, the teacher just hates BS and 90% of students who miss a test do so because they just want to study more. Still, I don't like how he screws over the 10%. And part of Claus' issues have to do with the prologue, but others come from other places... more on that later. ;) Hey, I get upset about killing off my characters too. D: And actually, people** ** _do_** **mind lots of characterization. I don't think that I could get away with some of my dialogue exchanges if I were to turn this into a real book; they're too stinking long! xD Yeah, being shy sucks. D: I know how you feel. The best way to become less shy is to force yourself in uncomfortable situations to prove that you can do it, unfortunately.**

* * *

 **One Year Ago**

Lucas ran through the streets of Tazmily, trying not to draw attention. The radiant sun above blanketed Lucas with its rays, but it still couldn't make up for the coldness that he felt inside.

 _I just have to make it to the Sunshine Forest,_ Lucas thought. _I can rest easy there._

Lucas imagined the birds chirping in the lotus trees. Aphrodite was home special birds that flashed rainbow colors. Claus had said that they were just mutated sparrows, but Lucas liked to think of them as something… more.

Lucas looked around him, fear replaced by sorrow as he gazed upon the "modern" buildings and roads. Tazmily had done just fine without progress; Lucas didn't know why everyone ate up all of all of the technology from the city and demanded more. Even now, he missed life before the starman attack. That… had ruined everything.

"Hey, Lucas!" came a friendly voice belonging to Lucas' friend Fuel.

Lucas flinched. He didn't want to talk to people, not now.

"Lucas?" Fuel asked, walking up to him with a concerned expression. "…Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," Lucas lied. "I'm just going to the Sunshine Forest."

"Lucas…" Fuel said with a frown. "You don't spend any time with the rest of us anymore. What happened?"

Lucas turned away, feeling his heart heave in his chest. He covered up his face to hide his tears. Why did he always have to feel so _small_ when someone asked him a tough question? He knew that crying was weak, but he couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his face.

"I'm sorry," Fuel said, looking like he wanted to comfort Lucas but didn't know how. "I didn't mean…"

"It's not your fault," Lucas whispered. "It's me. I'm weak."

"No!" Fuel protested, looking appalled. "You're not weak!"

"Name one strong thing that I've done," Lucas said, unable to put any emotion into his words.

"…I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I'm sure-"

"You can't think of any because I haven't done a single brave deed," Lucas interrupted. "It's not an opinion, it's a fact. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"You used to act warm," Fuel whispered, his sad voice nearly breaking Lucas' heart. "I remember how you always made an effort to help people. Whenever someone skinned their knee, you were there for them. Whenever a neighbor lost a pet, you were ready to help. Now… you can't even _pretend_ that you like me. What changed?"

Lucas sighed. Why did the world feel so heavy?

"Everything," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Fuel; those days are gone. In a cold society, I must adapt."

"Lucas, please," Fuel begged. "I… can help! I can bring you back!"

Fuel flashed an optimistic smile that stirred up some compassion in Lucas' heart. That hadn't happened in a while.

"It's hard to act warm when I cannot feel happiness," Lucas said. "Even you can't change that, Fuel."

"…You're depressed," Fuel said, his tone deadly serious.

"What if I am?" Lucas asked, not bothering to deny it.

"That's damn serious!" Fuel exclaimed. "You need some help!"

"Please don't swear," Lucas muttered.

"I'll swear whenever the hell I want!" he exclaimed, causing Lucas to cringe. "You need serious help, and the only thing that you can pick on is my language? What the hell is it to you?"

What _was_ it to him? Even he didn't know why he reacted negatively to profanity.

"I'm sorry," Fuel said, his voice somber. "Did I hurt your feelings?"

"No," Lucas said. "I honestly don't care."

"That worries me," Fuel whispered, his concern making Lucas feel guilty for not being able to give _more._ "You used to react…"

"I was sensitive," Lucas said evenly. "Now I'm not. This is an improvement."

"Are you sure?" Fuel asked. "Because everyone loved you. I can't count the number of times you made someone feel better. And now…" a single tear came to each of Fuel's eyes. "Please, Lucas, let me _help!_ "

The sincerity in Fuel's voice startled Lucas.

"I guess I'll try, if it will make you happy," Lucas said. "How do you think that you can help?"

"Just… bear with me!" Fuel exclaimed, scrambling to reply. "I got it! We should spend some more time together. If we do that, then the _real_ you will be back in no time!"

 _He really thinks it's that easy,_ Lucas thought. _He doesn't know how that after someone gets crushed, they don't ever act the same again._

"All right," Lucas said. "I'm trying to hide, anyway."

"Hiding?" Fuel asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "From whom?"

"I hope it's not me," came a deep voice from around the corner.

Lucas' twin brother Claus walked out, shooting Fuel a distrustful glance. Unlike Lucas, Claus had hit puberty, meaning that he stood multiple inches taller than his twin and possessed a lower voice. Claus stood with the posture of a soldier, stiff and stoic. Lucas looked at Claus' eyepatch and unconsciously cringed. His brother just looked so _creepy_ with that thing on.

 _He has to wear it,_ Lucas reminded himself harshly. _Stop judging him for it._

"I'm sure he wasn't hiding from you, Claus," Fuel said with a shaky smile. Like Lucas, he seemed unnerved by Claus' appearance and attitude.

 _But I was,_ Lucas thought, looking into Claus' emerald eyes. Both of them knew the truth.

"Lucas," Claus said, his voice naturally harsh. "We need to talk to father."

Lucas shied back.

"No," he whispered, his voice shaking. "I won't go."

"Are you serious?" Claus asked with a mocking laugh. "Why the hell not?"

Lucas shied back further, not wanting to say anything.

"Claus," Fuel said, his voice as hard as a rock. "What's going on between you and your dad?"

"None of your damn business!" Claus responded curtly.

"Claus," Lucas whispered. "Don't say that. Fuel's nice to me. He's nice to everyone. We can tell him."

"He would just shrug it off," Claus said dismissively. "They all do."

"I won't," Fuel said, his steely eyes causing Lucas to flinch.

"…Fine," Claus said. Lucas sighed in relief. Claus had always been a softie under his hard exterior, and Lucas felt glad knowing that Claus' kinder nature hadn't been _completely_ beaten out of him. "My dad beat Lucas yesterday."

"Ah," Fuel said, his hazel eyes shining with understanding. "That's not fun."

"But it wasn't a normal beating," Claus said, his lips forming a sneer. "Dad went _all out_ on his attacks. Under his shirt, Lucas is covered with bruises."

"Oh my," Fuel said in horror. "My father… never beat me. I can't comprehend how that must feel."

 _The beating doesn't hurt,_ Lucas thought. _The fact that dad's the one who's hitting me causes the real pain._

"So I'm going to confront him about it," Claus said in a tone that brooked no opposition.

"…Did Lucas do something to deserve the beating in any way?" Fuel asked.

"Yes," Lucas whispered.

"Hell, no!" Claus replied.

Lucas looked at Claus. His brother's eyes tightened.

"Lucas," Claus said. "You did _nothing_ wrong."

"I forgot to feed the dog," Lucas said.

"Because you were working all day!" Claus yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "Seriously, Lucas, you need to accept that this is all dad's fault!"

Lucas flinched. Claus scared him when he got like this.

"Lucas," Fuel said softly. "This really isn't your fault. Your father had no excuse for beating you like that."

"He's been going through tough times," Lucas said. "He's the mayor of this town, and we've faced potential invasions for years."

"That's no excuse," Claus hissed. "We're both holding up better than he is at age 14. He needs to get over mom's death and move on!"

An awkward silence ensued. Lucas didn't make eye contact with anyone, choosing to look at the ground instead.

"What?" Claus asked. "It's the truth!"

"It feels like you just want us to forget about mom," Lucas whispered.

"I didn't mean that…" Claus said, looking off into the distance. "Father just needs to pull himself together."

"I don't think that yelling at him helps with that," Lucas muttered.

"Well, he's a horrible human being!" Claus exclaimed. "Am I supposed to pretend that he's not just because he's my father?"

Another awkward silence followed.

"I think that Claus is right, Lucas," Fuel said. "Your father might be stressed, but he still shouldn't beat you, _especially_ not like that."

"But…" Lucas said, looking at Claus nervously. "Claus is only mad because it's me. Dad has beaten Claus worse than that on several occasions, and Claus didn't confront him about it then."

Lucas registered a flash of surprise in Claus' eyes. Had he thought that Lucas wouldn't catch onto that?

"…I care about you, Lucas," Claus said. "That's why I want to get this sorted out."

"But you should care about yourself, too," Lucas replied. "I can take care of myself, Claus. I'm basically an adult."

"You're fourteen!" Claus exclaimed.

"So are you," Lucas pointed out.

"That's different," Claus said, waving his hand in dismissal.

"Why?" Lucas demanded. "Why do _you_ get to be an adult while I'm stuck as a child?"

"Fine," Claus said. "Be an adult. Learn what it's like to do everything on your own and then come back."

"I… didn't mean that," Lucas whispered. "I still need you."

"Then you are still a child," Claus replied.

 _I… suppose so,_ Lucas thought reluctantly.

"So are you coming with me or not?" Claus asked.

"I… really don't want to," Lucas said, his voice shaking. He felt guilty knowing that Claus was just trying to help, but he didn't want to be coddled.

"Lucas…" Claus said in a disapproving tone that made Lucas feel even guiltier. "Can't you see that father is getting worse? We _need_ to confront him about this."

"Couldn't you go alone, Claus?" Fuel asked.

"I _want_ to," Claus replied with a snort, "But Lucas made me promise not to."

"I don't want my brother going behind my back and fixing all of my problems," Lucas said.

 _I've already experienced too much of that._

"Please, Lucas," Claus begged. "We can't keep letting dad reign free. Look at how far he's fallen in three years! What will he be like in another year? What will he be like in ten years?"

Lucas closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about that.

"Lucas, can't you see that this is for _you?_ " Claus asked.

Those words pierced his heart. How could he say no now? He wanted _so badly_ to avoid confronting his father, but the guilt in his heart wouldn't let him accept that decision.

"…I'll go," Lucas said.

"Are you sure?" Fuel asked, looking concerned.

 _No._

"Yes," Lucas whispered. "Like Claus said, this is for me."

"That doesn't mean that it's a good idea," Fuel pointed out.

Lucas didn't have anything to say to that.

"Come on, Lucas," Claus said, walking away.

"Coming," Lucas replied softly, running to catch up.

He remembered a time when he _liked_ running. That seemed so stupid to him now. Running didn't accomplish anything. Some people liked the burn of exercise, but Lucas was so sensitive to pain that he feared hurting himself in any way.

And he feared hurting others even more.

Lucas caught up to his brother quickly. He walked beside Claus, his shoulders slouched. He hoped that his brother would catch onto his reluctance, but he soon realized that Claus either didn't notice or didn't care. Lucas sighed, walking along as he gave up trying to act helpless. Before long, he found himself standing in front of a lonely house on top of the hill.

 _This is my house,_ Lucas thought. _I belong here._

But if that were really true, then why did he feel so nervous?

"Now or never," Claus whispered to Lucas, shooting him a smile.

Claus opened the door and stepped inside. Lucas followed gingerly behind. Their father Flint stood inside, wearing a cowboy hat and a vest. He tensed upon hearing Lucas and Claus enter the house. He turned around, shooting a nasty glare at Claus.

"Why are you here?" Flint demanded. "I told you to leave me alone."

"Whenever I told you to leave us alone, did you ever listen?" Claus shot back with a dangerous smile.

 _Not good!_ Lucas thought. _They both sound so hostile already!_

"You're asking for another beating, boy," Flint hissed. He stepped forward awkwardly, his body wobbling back and forth. He nearly knocking over a vase of flowers.

"What drug are you on now?" Claus demanded.

"Quiet!" Flint roared. "Get out of my house!"

 _Eek!_ Lucas thought, throwing his hands up to protect himself.

"We need to talk to you about something important," Claus said, not seeming fazed.

Flint looked like he was debating whether or not to snap at Claus. Eventually, he motioned for them to explain.

"You beat Lucas yesterday," Claus said, his steely eyes yielding no ground. "Even though he did nothing wrong."

Flint shot Claus a sneer.

"I'm his father," he snarled. "And _yours,_ I might add."

"That doesn't give you the right to abuse us," Claus said.

 _Too far!_ Lucas thought.

"Abuse?" Flint asked with a screeching laugh. "Abuse? HAHAHA!"

"Shut the hell up!" Claus roared, "And start taking us seriously! We're not your slaves!"

"Slaves?" Flint asked. Turning to Lucas, "He thinks that he's a slave. Isn't that just the _funniest?_ "

"Father," Lucas whispered. "Please don't talk to Claus that way."

Flint focused his attention on Lucas, letting out a sigh.

"Your brother doesn't appreciate what I do for him," Flint said, shaking his head sadly.

"You have done _nothing_ except for beat us and scream at us!" Claus shouted. "Do I need to remind you who's making the money in this household? It sure as _hell_ isn't you!"

"Claus," Flint said sternly. "It's hard for me to work. Those pig people killed Hinawa… they killed my wife."

Crazy people wearing pig masks had started "modernizing" Tazmily three years ago. They apparently came from a large city named New Pork (which Lucas once would have laughed at). The truth hung unspoken in the air. Hinawa had been killed by starmen rather than pigmasks.

A searing pain shot through Lucas' head. For a second, he could see Claus pointing a sword at their mother. Lucas blocked that image out.

 _Claus didn't kill her,_ Lucas thought. _He wouldn't kill his own mother. It was the starmen… they did it…_

"Stop lying to yourself!" Claus snapped. "The pigmasks had _nothing_ to do with Hinawa's death!"

"Your mother was so precious to me," Flint whispered, ignoring Claus. "Do you remember why humans colonized this planet in the first place?"

Lucas knew. During the time of the empire, many people wanted to escape the political games of the nobility. Only psions made up the upper class in the time of the empire, which resulted in them looking down upon those without powers. Psions would fight each other on the political battlefield, often razing entire cities to gain arbitrary advantages. Obviously, this made many people angry. A group of those angry people colonized Aphrodite to escape the empire's manipulative hand.

"We wanted to escape the empire's notion that psionics were the only thing that mattered," Flint continued. "Our ancestors knew that traditional family values are more important than anything else. And _you_ are breaking apart those values!" he shouted, pointing at Claus.

"I've heard that rant of yours before," Claus said with a dangerous smile.

"We escaped the factories of Vulcan and the oppression of Earth!" Flint continued. "All to give our children a better life."

Flint's words sent a chill down Lucas' spine. They sounded eerily similar to what Claus would tell him, sometimes.

 _Can't you see that this is for you?_

Was father right? Did they owe him their loyalty because of some ideals enacted centuries ago?

"Family values are important," Claus said. "So why the _hell_ aren't you stepping it up as a father? We're just a couple of dumb kids. It's on you to care for us, but even the starmen give more of a shit about us than you do."

Lucas cringed at every pointed word. He wanted to get them to stop fighting, but he didn't know how.

"And I could forgive that if you were just abusing us," Claus continued. "But you're also neglecting all of Tazmily! In the past three years, you've angered a dozen of the nearby towns to the point of sending threats at us. The _pigmasks_ had to negotiate peace while you sat by and did nothing! You're incompetent!"

"You will NOT speak that way to me," Flint warned, his face dead serious.

"And why not?" Claus shouted. "You speak that way to us! You beat us and make us feel like shit, and then you turn around and say _that?_ I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

 _Claus…_ Lucas thought, _I know this hurts you, but can't you see that you're just making it worse?_

"I thought that your mother raised you better than that," Flint said, turning away.

Claus' face flushed red with anger. He balled his fists and took an aggressive step forward.

"Maybe if you weren't such a _miserable_ son of a bitch, then we wouldn't have these problems!" he yelled. "And don't bring up mom! Lucas and I saw the starmen kill her ourselves! You can't even _begin_ to know how much it hurt us. And even worse, you don't care…" Claus trailed off, looking down at the ground. "You never really cared, did you? You only had kids because mom wanted to. I think that you would have thrown us out onto the streets if you didn't need us to provide money."

Lucas wanted to yell that Claus was wrong, that their dad _did_ love them, but the words got caught in his throat.

"…You killed her," Flint whispered to Claus. "You killed your mother."

"I DID NOT!" Claus roared, gritting his teeth in rage. "Ask Lucas! He saw the starmen kill her!"

"Claus is right, dad," Lucas whispered. "The starmen attacked us. They killed her."

 _That's right,_ he told himself. _Claus didn't kill mom. He would never hurt her…_

"You committed murder," Flint said, his haunted eyes causing Lucas to take a step back. "You committed matricide. On Aphrodite, there is no greater sin. It is a crime punishable by death."

"You never listen," Claus said, his voice filled to the brim with loathing. "You never have, and you never will. I didn't kill her. END OF STORY."

Lucas cringed. He _knew_ that Claus was right, so why did a picture of his brother pointing a sword at their mother keep popping into his head?

"You keep saying that," Flint said, "But I can see the truth in your eyes! You killed her, and you're trying to forget because you can't handle the guilt!"

"I feel guilty because I could not save her," Claus spat. "Unlike you, I take _some_ sort of responsibility for those who I am supposed to protect."

"Lies," Flint whispered, a pained smile forming on his face. "That's a lie that you tell yourself so that you feel better…"

Claus didn't say anything. He just stared forward, his fiery eyes flickering with rage. Lucas wanted to help him, but he didn't know how.

"I should bring you to justice," Flint said. "Even though you're my son, you still need to face the law."

"You have no evidence," Claus replied, his face hard and his tone harder.

"I am the mayor of this town," Flint snapped, taking a step forward.

"Oh, so _now_ you play that card," Claus said. "You let our town wither away to the point that the _pigmasks_ had to intervene and now you try to press your authority? It doesn't work that way."

Flint stared at Claus for minutes. Then he turned around and picked a sword off of the table. In a split second, Claus whipped out a knife, pointing it at Flint. Lucas cringed at the sight of the pink jewel in the knife's hilt. He didn't stare closely, but he knew the Latin words engraved in the knife's blade by heart.

 _Amor est maximum donum._ Love is the greatest gift.

Lucas looked nervously as his brother and father pointed blades at each other. Each of their postures made it clear that they were poised to strike.

"Put that knife down," Flint commanded. "Even holding it is an insult to your mother. She received it from her father, who got it as a gift from those 'Magypsy' people."

"I know that!" Claus exclaimed. "Amourus, knife of love. It symbolized your marriage… and how did that end up?"

 _That knife…_ In a flash, Lucas saw the blade covered with blood. _No… Starmen killed mother… Not the knife… Not Claus…_

"You would raise a weapon against your father?" Flint asked.

"After you talked about murdering me, hell yeah!" Claus replied. "If you attack, I'll kill you without remorse."

"There is no murder in justice," Flint said. "It would be fair to strike you down as you stand."

"Come at me!" Claus yelled.

"Claus," Lucas whispered. "Please don't."

"Don't what?" Claus asked. "Don't defend myself while this madman tries to kill me?"

Lucas shied back from Claus' harsh tone.

"…"

Claus' face softened.

"I'm sorry, Lucas," Claus said. "I just don't know what you want me to do."

"Walk away," Lucas said. "You don't have to fight."

"Walk away?" Claus asked, looking nervously at Flint. "If I do, he'll just try to kill me when I come back. But what if I _don't_ come back?" Claus appeared to ponder that idea with the ferocity of a tiger.

Panic flooded through Lucas' systems. He had never meant to suggest that!

"That's actually not a bad idea," Claus said, a pleased smile lighting up his face. "I could live in the woods somewhere. That would be nice… come on, let's discuss it outside."

Without waiting for Lucas to answer, Claus strode out of the door as if nothing had happened. Lucas shot a guilty glance at his father. Flint looked frail, standing alone with his withered face.

"I'm sorry, dad," he whispered, and followed Claus out the door.

Lucas couldn't stop tears from coming to his eyes. He couldn't just _leave!_ He felt like he would betray his dad if he talked about that notion with Claus, but he felt like he would betray his brother if he ignored him. Lucas took a deep breath, trying to find beauty in the empty fields of wheat that lay before him. A lonely breeze ruffled his hair.

 _So much is gone,_ Lucas thought. _And the rest is slipping though my fingers._

He didn't know what to think about that, so he just walked up to Claus.

"Phew," Claus muttered with a sigh. "I was worried that dad would follow me."

"Claus," Lucas whispered. "Please don't leave. I need you…"

"Well, you would come with me!" Claus exclaimed, sounding optimistic. "Think about it, Lucas. For the first time, we'll be free. We won't have to deal with father or the pigmasks ever again. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"Yeah," Lucas lied. "It sounds great."

Claus flashed a confused look at Lucas.

"You don't sound excited," he said.

Lucas sighed. He didn't want to explain his true feelings to Claus, but he didn't have a choice at this point. Claus knew how to see through his lies.

"I'm scared of living alone," he whispered. "What if we decide in a month that we want to live with father again? We can always wait to leave, but we can't come back once we go."

"We've been waiting for three years," Claus said, balling his fists in anger. "How has that worked out? Father's getting worse and worse!"

"Claus…"

"Don't 'Claus' me! We both know how the last three years of our life have gone! There can't be anything out there worse than that."

 _I can think of many situations worse than ours,_ Lucas thought. _I think about them every day. I'm scared of how much further we have to fall… and I'm scared of how fast we're falling._

"Lucas, please," Claus whispered. "Can't you see that we can't keep living like this?"

"But I can't live on my own," Lucas whispered. "Even with you to help me."

"We're basically adults, Lucas. You have to learn how to live on your own sometime; why not now?"

"We… shouldn't split our family apart," Lucas argued, but his words came out hollow.

"Our family bonds have already been hacked to bloody pieces," Claus said. "You want to hang onto the past, Lucas. You need to look forward."

 _I do look forward,_ Lucas thought. _I look forward in fear. What happens to us once we leave society?_

"Claus, I just don't want to leave," Lucas protested. How could he explain that every time he thought of being _away,_ his heart got caught in his throat?

"Well, I'm leaving," Claus said flatly. "You can either come with me or stay with father."

 _I don't want to do either!_ Lucas wanted to shout. _I can't leave, but I also can't bear to see you go!_

"Ah, Lucas, don't give me that look," Claus said. "It will be better for both of us once we escape from father. I'm going to the Sunshine Forest. Will you come with me?"

"…Maybe later," Lucas whispered, unable to put any emotion in his words.

Claus nodded.

"You should take this," he said, putting Amourus into Lucas' hand. "I love you, Lucas. I want to take care of you. But you have to give me the chance to help you before I can do anything. Remember what mom said? Love will always bring us back together."

Lucas stared at the knife in his hand, feeling a sense of longing take control of his body. Claus couldn't just _leave_ him! Lucas couldn't survive on his own!

"See you later… I hope," Claus said. Then he turned around and walked away.

Lucas shook his head, sitting down and hugging his knees as he watched Claus disappear into the distance. Maybe if he could curl up into a ball, he could hide from the world.

 _Why does it matter?_ he wondered. _I've been nothing but a liability for my whole life. I hate Claus for leaving me, but he's right to forget about me. My failures shouldn't hinder his successes._

"Lucas!"

Lucas turned to see Fuel running towards him, followed by his father Lighter.

"Fuel," Lucas said in a monotone voice, unable to muster any emotion. "Why are you here?"

"See what I mean, dad?" Fuel asked Lighter. "He sounds so _cold._ "

Lighter was a middle-aged man with the largest muscles that Lucas had seen. Before the starman attack, Lucas would have shied away at the sight of his massive body. Now, he wouldn't have cared if Lighter decided to break his legs. Fuel's father wasn't one to show a lot of emotion, but he did seem concerned about Lucas for whatever reason.

"Lucas," Lighter said. "Is something wrong?"

 _Well, he doesn't mess around with small talk,_ Lucas noted.

"Claus left me," Lucas whispered. "He ran away from home. He left me…"

Fuel gasped.

"Are you serious?" he asked. "I thought that Claus would do anything for you!"

"I don't blame him," Lucas said. "He gave me the chance to come with him."

 _But even though I don't blame him, I can't stop feeling empty inside,_ Lucas thought. _It feels like there's a void where my heart once was._

"Dad," Fuel said. "We shouldn't leave Lucas alone with Flint. That man is dangerous."

"How so?" Lighter asked.

"He nearly tried to kill Claus," Lucas whispered. "That's why Claus left."

"I'm sure that your father wouldn't actually attack…"

"He said that killing Claus would be justice," Lucas interrupted Lighter. "Then he picked up a sword and pointed it at Claus."

An awkward silence ensued. Lucas could see that Fuel and Lighter were uncomfortable, and he had to ask himself multiple times why he should care.

"Can we take him in with us?" Fuel asked Lighter.

"…I think so," Lighter answered. "But we don't have much money, so I don't know if Lucas will be happy with us."

"I don't want to burden you," Lucas said. "I've been a burden to Claus my entire life."

"I think that I might have to insist," Lighter said. "You need help, Lucas."

"I don't," Lucas whispered. "I just need to stand out of everyone's way. I won't let myself become a liability again." Lucas held Amourus up, rotating it and watching how the light reflected off of the blade. " _This_ will make sure that I don't become a liability again."

Lighter's face turned hard.

"Lucas… we just want to help," he said.

Lucas cringed.

"Father, that sounds too much like Claus," Fuel whispered. "And Lucas is afraid of him. I… may have a solution that will work for everyone."

"What's that?" Lighter asked.

"He could live in Osohe Castle," Fuel suggested. "I have a friend named Kumatora who lives there. She's rather lonely… I think that she would enjoy the company."

"I can do that," Lucas said.

Lighter didn't look convinced.

"We shouldn't leave Lucas without an adult," he said. "He needs another parent figure."

"Maybe we can work on that later," Fuel said. "But I think that Lucas is serious about using that knife of his."

 _Of course I am,_ Lucas thought. _It's my only source of power. I can't do anything except for hurt myself._

"…Fine," Lighter said. "You know Lucas better than I do. Can you take him to Osohe Castle?"

"Yeah, of course!" Fuel exclaimed, a smile coming to his face.

 _So much energy,_ Lucas thought. _How can he stay so happy?_

"Come on, Lucas!" Fuel exclaimed. "I'll show you the way!"

Lucas stood up. He turned around, taking one last look at his house. Countless memories popped into his head.

 _Lucas and Claus were lying down, looking at clouds. Lucas spotted one that looked two people holding hands. He reached out and grabbed onto his brother's hand. Claus gave Lucas' hand an affectionate squeeze._

 _Lucas spotted something rustling in the wheat fields. He smiled. Claus wouldn't surprise him this time. Slowly, he crept towards the wheat field, trying not to let on that he knew his brother's location._

 _Lucas and Claus were running laps around the house. Their dog Boney followed, barking like he wanted in on the race…_

 _Lucas ran into the kitchen, savoring the smell of his favorite food: omelets._

 _Lucas stared into Boney's deep eyes._

 _Lucas…_

He quashed all of the memories, leaving his heart and soul empty. He turned back to face Fuel, devoid of any feeling.

"I'm ready," he said.


	21. Interlude: Diana (part 1)

**So, I decided to split this chapter into two for a few reasons:**

 **-It's** ** _really_** **long**

 **-I'm not done editing the second part yet**

 **-It actually has a pretty good breaking point**

 **That being said, this chapter isn't super exciting. I'll try to get the second part up tomorrow. Thanks for bearing with me! :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Orangeflight of ShadowClan:** **Yeah, I was worried when nobody was reviewing. I thought that I did something wrong. xD I am almost certain that they'll reject** **A Harmless Game** **. At this point, I'm just trying to get feedback from someone who calls the shots. Even I don't know how much work these college apps are... I'm applying early to a school, so I have a wave of work to do now and a wave during the winter. I'm hoping to finish this "book" before winter break, but I get the feeling that isn't going to happen. :x**

 **Yeah, Claus is not a healthy person to be around. I'm glad that you recognize that; I know that there are some people who think that guilt tripping like that is okay. D: And yeah, Flint's a wreck. No more to be said. Heh, I take no responsibility for that weighing on your mind (which who/what killed Hinawa). :P ...Even though it kinda is my fault. xD Yep, more Kuma backstory soon, piece by piece.**

 **Well, that's good that it's your favorite one. :) It's supposed to be one of the more pronounced ones (The Ana one doesn't really affect the plot for a long time haha). I hope that you like this one... well, the second part. This one's a bit slow. :( And pretty much everyone dislikes discrimination (pretty much everyone reasonable, anyway). Well, I play League of Legends, and you're probably better of not playing it. It's not even that good and a lot of people rage (I've even gotten a death threat, albeit not ones that the person actually planned on carrying out). The teacher isn't rude, he just _hates_ BS and is willing to sacrifice a few of us due to honest mistakes to stamp it out. He's pretty chill as a person, actually. I guess I should revise the characterization thing: people like for characterization to either relate to the plot or be matched by plot thingies happening. **

**DarkFoxKit: Oh yeah, I would totally do what Lucas did... at least, I would have a few years ago. Now, I don't know. It feels like independence has kinda slapped me in the face. As for the knife... I left it ambiguous intentionally. :) And Claus wanted to pressure Lucas into coming with him because he knows that Lucas is more scared of Flint than living alone. He fully expected Lucas to follow (and he probably would have, honestly). Kind of a jerk move, huh? :(**

 **PSIBoy: Hey, thanks for reviewing! :) These reviews really make my day! As for who he wants dead, I won't say yet. :) And in Tazmily, politics are just starting to form. But yeah, there's a lot of strife going on. Yep, Flint is messed up... but he does truly believe that Claus killed Hinawa. That does things to a person. Yeah, Boney lives with Flint (I don't think that he's actually going to make an appearance in this story, sadly D:). As for Lucas' future, all I'll say is that he'll _definitely_ show up. :)**

 **A Fan: An estimate? With ANs, I'm thinking 500-600k total. I'm about halfway done with this "book," and there are two more coming. Book 3 might be shorter because I don't have much planned, but I may come up with stuff. Yeah... it's gonna be a while.**

 **Maybe it is secretly City of Progress! ...Nah, I'm just kidding. xD**

* * *

 **Two Years Ago**

Diana Carpainter walked through the streets of Vulcan, wearing a grey cowl that concealed all of her features. Raindrops soaked her cloak and seeped into her skin, but she didn't mind. Even in warm weather, Diana always felt cold. She had realized that no amount of sunlight could overcome the iciness in her heart. She had become one with the grey buildings and grey skies.

Diana waded through a sea of people, trying to make her way to an abandoned house where she could use PSI without anyone else noticing.

 _Minerva always said that she hated the crowds, but I've never minded them,_ Diana thought.

Once, that revelation would have produced sympathy, curiosity, or nostalgia. But now she felt… nothing. Diana tried not to gape at the tear in her heart where emotion used to reside.

She gritted her teeth. Diana almost wanted to shove. Almost. After realizing how many people she had hurt, she never wanted to inflict pain on anyone ever again.

But pacifism was tricky. Diana truly believed that some people deserved to die. What would happen if she needed to kill someone and simply… couldn't?

 _I can think about that later,_ she thought, slowly advancing towards her destination.

As she got closer to her hideout, Diana encountered less people. There as a good reason for that, as her irritated lungs started to tell her. The air in this part of the city was particularly bad. Diana had heard that thousands of families who were too poor to move out died of lung infections. Apparently, their lungs had turned completely black.

That was Vulcan's mantra, in a way. Use, use, use… and then forget about the leftovers and leave them to pollute the rest of the planet.

However, this part of town offered a lucrative benefit: shelter. Diana spotted countless people on the streets. She guessed that they had gotten kicked out of their homes and had moved into the abandoned houses littered across the area. Under her cowl, Diana favored each one with a sad smile.

Most of them wouldn't last the month.

Diana closed her eyes, trying not to linger the withered, black lungs that she imagined.

 _You kill hundreds of people,_ she told herself. _And yet you still can't face the truth. Pathetic. You truly are a child._

Diana walked up to a grey house. It looked indistinguishable from the rest. She walked in, taking in the emptiness of the grey walls around her.

"Healing," she muttered, purging herself of any toxins that she had inhaled.

 _Didn't Minerva say that people used to use different kinds of healing PSI to treat different problems?_

Diana shook her head. That didn't matter now. She took a deep breath, readying herself for what she had to do.

"Dimension door," she whispered, and a void to nothingness opened in front of her.

Diana leapt through, closing her eyes and directing herself to create another portal as she floated in the emptiness. She opened her eyes to find herself straddling between doors to Vulcan and Ceres. Gingerly, she dove through the portal to Ceres, landing in a posh, colorful room. Immediately, she felt her senses go numb as she collapsed on the floor. It felt vaguely like being electrocuted.

 _Urgh…_ Diana thought. _What the psych?_

"Ah, an intruder," came a familiar voice. Diana felt a hand lift her hood up. "Oh, Diana! What are you doing here?"

The numbness faded. Diana gasped for air, standing up and coming face to face with her twin sister. Minerva's cheeks reddened as she shot Diana a sheepish look.

 _Well, she didn't kill me,_ Diana thought. _That's good._

"Nice place," Diana said, looking at the furniture and decor. She couldn't tell what anything was made of, but it looked fancy. "Is how all people on Ceres live?"

Minerva nodded nervously.

"Yeah, all of the people at my station live this way… I'm sorry about that trap. I set it to spring on anyone who teleported in."

"Well, it works psyching well," Diana said with a good-natured smile.

Minerva released a sigh of relief.

"You… really don't hold grudges, do you? That can be a fault, you know. If you held a grudge against father, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess."

A sense of overwhelming guilt overtook Diana, although she did her best not to show it. Years of hiding emotions from her father gave her plenty of practice at keeping her face neutral.

"…You're right," Diana whispered.

Minerva's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Wait, you actually _realized_ that father is wrong?" she asked incredulously.

Diana nodded.

"I'm sorry, Minerva," she said. "I should have listened to you earlier. Maybe then, some of my victims would still be alive… That fantasy seems so _close_."

Minerva looked uncomfortable. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, but didn't say anything.

"At least you're not denying it," Diana said. "I'm a monster."

"No, it's not that…" Minerva said. "You've always been so strong _._ Whenever I needed help, you were there for me. It's a little concerning to see you like this… even if it is a step in the right direction."

Diana looked for a hint of humor in Minerva's voice and found none.

"Wait, you think that I'm strong?" Diana asked, waiting for the scornful laugh that would _surely_ follow.

"Yeah," Minerva whispered seriously. "You always seem to know what to do, and you were never afraid to take action. I guess it's no wonder that I started to admire you."

Diana's jaw dropped wide open.

"Wait, _you_ admired _me?_ I thought that you hated my guts!"

"Jealousy," Minerva explained with a guilty smile. "Father always loved you more. You were his little hound, willing to get your hands dirty and never questioning his orders. Next to you, I was nothing. At first, I tried to imitate you, but you were always _better_ … So I ran away. It's funny how jealousy saved me in the end. I guess there's an evolutionary basis for everything…"

 _Wow,_ Diana thought. _I never knew._

"Please," Diana said. "I know that I don't deserve to ask this, but would you tell me about your life on Ceres? I need something to distract myself from the atrocities that I've committed."

"You… really want to hear about me?" Minerva asked, her eyes widening slightly. "…I don't think that anyone has really cared about me before, Diana."

Minerva's surprised tone made Diana feel both relieved and horrified: relieved that she could finally find something to talk about besides her struggles on Vulcan and horrified that Minerva had truly been alone for her entire life.

 _Now that I think about it, I've been alone as well,_ Diana thought. _I believed that my father cared about me. Now I know that he only sees me as a tool._

"I don't know how to respond to that," Diana said. "I've never been good with feelings. I'm… sorry."

Minerva flashed a sad smile.

"I have issues with emotions as well," she replied. "I'm the jealous one, remember? My life… well for starters, there's a lot of sexism here on Ceres. There's a social stigma about women in my profession. It's perfectly legal and some people honestly don't care, but others do. I'm starting to see the universe differently after being looked down upon for so long."

"Err…" Diana said. "I've paid so little attention to your life that I don't even know what you do."

"I'm a politician," Minerva said with an awkward smile.

"Really?" Diana asked. "I'm surprised that you found enough money to bribe your way through the ranks."

"Politics on Ceres work differently," Minerva replied. "Here, ideas rather than money rules. There's still quite a bit of bribery, of course, but most politicians have to be more discreet about it. We each develop a personality and make promises in hopes that we'll get elected. I'm one of the few who is sincere."

 _Ah,_ Diana thought. _I had always heard that people have more rights in Ceres. It makes sense that politicians would have to be a little less overt about their corruption._

She didn't even consider the possibility of an honest government. Having grown up on Vulcan, such an idea seemed like a fairy tale to her.

"What was it like?" Diana asked. "Being a foreigner and all?"

"Some see me as uncultured," Minerva replied. "But the people of Ceres like that I come from Vulcan, surprisingly. While the ex-noble families sniff and shake their heads at my prospects as a politician, most of the people here are… normal. They have basic issues that need to be met, and they're tired of someone _sophisticated_ trying to deal with their problems. My survival story provokes empathy. It also helps that I've found a wonderful friend who can work magic on a crowd."

"Really?" Diana asked, trying not to let jealousy shine through. "Who?"

"Her name is Megan Aniah," Minerva answered. "She's rather upbeat, kind of like how you were. She can put a lot of… energy into events, and she's a wonderful person. She also happens to be the secretary of psionics, or at least one of them. She shares the title with her husband."

"Secretary of psionics?" Diana asked. "That sounds important."

"It is," Minerva said with a smile. "She helped me out a lot. Without her, I don't think that I would have come close to my comfortable position."

"It's… great that you have such wonderful friends," Diana said, but her heart wasn't in it.

Minerva adopted a concerned expression.

"Is something wrong, Diana?" she asked. "Are you… jealous?"

"…I suppose that I am," Diana whispered. Why was that so hard to admit? "Sorry. I _am_ a lousy excuse for a human being, literally."

"We both are," Minerva replied with a smile. "But our biology shouldn't hold us back. Now tell me… what happened?"

Diana bit her lip. She didn't want to talk about this to _Minerva._ Revealing her faults in front of her little sister always wounded her pride.

 _Grow up,_ Diana told herself. _This isn't a contest. Not anymore…_

"It's about Juno," Diana said. "She has the power to use PSI."

Minerva's eyes lit up.

"Oh my…" she said. "And I assume that father hunted her down?"

 _She could be a starman as well,_ Diana heard in her father's voice. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the noise.

"He… tried," Diana answered. "I stopped him. Juno still wants to kill me, though."

"Why?" Minerva asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I was the one who detected her innate psionic abilities and told father," Diana admitted. "But I didn't think that he would try to _kill_ her! He wants to hunt down starmen disguised as humans, and I know that Juno isn't a starman!"

"I… don't think that father is sincere about hunting down starmen," Minerva said. "After all, don't you know his secret?"

 _Damn!_ Diana swore in her head.

"How did you figure out that I knew?" she asked. "Have you been spying on me?"

"You tipped me off," Minerva answered with an insufferable smile. "Politicians like me pick up on secrets rather quickly. His secret happens to be quite… _frightening,_ no?"

 _Six months on Ceres and she already carries the air of a noble,_ Diana thought. _I guess that she could always bend language and appearances to her will._

"It… is," Diana replied slowly. "I thought that I was in a nightmare when I first figured it out. Afterwards, I felt _horrible._ "

"Ah," Minerva said, smiling in pain. "Because suddenly, you are not following god's will. You are committing atrocities."

Diana flinched. Minerva's succinct assessment rang true.

"Don't hide from the truth, Diana," Minerva said. "That was never your style."

"Everything that I knew was a LIE!" Diana shouted. "Can't you cut me some slack?"

"You killed another human when you were seven, Diana," Minerva answered. "You just don't react to the filth and gore of life."

"But I was imprinted…" Diana protested.

"Subconsciously, yes," Minerva said. "And now you are free from the thralls of your mind. You are a catalyst for change, Diana. You are an arrow that needs to be directed. For years, you have impaled the innocent. Now, you need to strike down the guilty."

"…You mean that I should kill father," Diana said flatly.

Minerva nodded.

"I can't just _kill_ the person who gave me everything, Minerva!" Diana explained. "It doesn't work that way!"

"You've killed people less deserving of death than him," Minerva replied.

"I won't do it," Diana insisted.

Minerva sighed.

"I thought that you would say that. Just like an arrow, you don't like to change directions once you've been put on a trajectory. I shall have to take father's little cult into my own hands."

"What do you mean?" Diana asked.

"I'm running for president, Diana," Minerva replied.

Diana almost toppled over. Her sniveling sister was running for the most powerful position in the universe?

 _Stop judging her,_ she told herself. _Minerva has done more good for this universe than you ever will._

"I… hope that you win," Diana said shakily.

"You could have done a better job than _that_ of hiding your surprise," Minerva replied with an amused smile. "I know that the profession seems out of the realm of possibility, but you don't have to act so shocked. Regardless, if I take office… my first action will be to hunt down father. I'm pushing officials here to act, and many people support my view. However, there is a lot of dissent from the noble families. Do you know how military service works on Ceres?"

"No," Diana answered.

"There are many rules, but the most important ones concern psions," Minerva answered. "All male psions, psychic warriors, and wilders are required to serve in the military for three years after graduating from school. Kids of ages 20-23 make up the psionics forces of Ceres' standing military. Most of the psions spend their time whoring, as there are never any _real_ threats on Ceres."

"Wait, all _male_ psions?" Diana asked. "What about women?"

"Women are not even allowed to join the military," Minerva replied. "People on Ceres are rather traditional, and the longstanding tradition has been to put women in front of an easel and hand them a paintbrush while the men fight the wars."

"Huh," Diana said. "That seems stupid."

"Doesn't it?" Minerva asked, shaking her head. "But people will do anything if they're used to it."

Diana suddenly felt self-conscious about what _she_ had gotten used to: killing anyone who her father told her to.

"But anyways," Minerva said, "The point is that our military psionics unit is small and the soldiers in it are young. Their parents don't want them to actually _fight_ anything, as if they're supposed to do something else in a psyching military!" Minerva released an exasperated sigh. "As a result, most noble families oppose sending a psionic strike force to take out father, and those families carry all the real power."

Diana nodded, starting to feel comfortable again. This was how politics worked.

This was how life worked.

"But," Minerva continued. "The common people are getting annoyed that nobody's taking action. My support of hunting down father has made me quite popular, actually. The presidential election is in a few months, and I think that I can win it."

Diana still couldn't believe that her sister had a chance to become the single most powerful person in the universe, but she managed to hide her surprise this time.

"I'm surprised that the common people have the power to do, well… _anything,_ " Diana replied.

"That was one of the refreshing things about coming to Ceres," Minerva said. "People can even get away with speaking poorly of a leader. It's still illegal, of course, but nobody really enforces that law."

"Wow…" Diana said, her eyes widening in surprise. "That's pretty crazy."

"I know," Minerva replied. "Going from a place where speaking out against authority is akin to asking for death to _this…_ it's a little unsettling, honestly. I hear that Earth has made even more advancements."

"But Earth is filled to the brim with a bunch of entitled brats," Diana replied curtly. "They want more, more, _more…_ and they don't give a damn if people over on Vulcan are starving."

Minerva shrugged.

"People can't possibly consider every aspect of the issue. The reason that most Earth people don't know what it's _really_ like to live on Vulcan is that powerful businesses blot out most of the truth. I've told people here about events that I saw every day on Vulcan and they don't take me seriously. They don't believe me when I say that you have to watch where you're walking so that you don't step on corpses or limbs."

Diana raised an eyebrow.

"That's… different in other places?" she asked.

"Yeah," Minerva said. "Do you want to see what it's like for yourself? I can show you around town."

"…No thanks," Diana replied. "What if someone saw me under my cowl? It would ruin your image to be associated with a mass murderer."

"Yes, but-"

"Besides, I have other stuff to do," Diana interrupted. "It was nice talking to you, but I should really go now."

"I know your body language," Minerva said. "You mean to talk to father next."

Diana sighed. Why bother denying it?

"…Be careful, all right?" Minerva asked. "Of him and yourself. I don't want to see your strings pulled again."

"I don't think that will happen," Diana replied. "I'm too broken to be used as a puppet."

"Father will still try," Minerva said. "And if he realizes how broken you are, he will try to throw you into the trash. Prepare yourself."

"Always. Now, you didn't set any traps for people teleporting _out_ of this place, did you?"

"No," Minerva said with a smile. "Have a nice… chat with father."

Diana smiled sadly.

"Thanks, Min," she said.

"You haven't called me that in almost 30 years," Minerva said wistfully. "Ah, look at me. I'm getting all sentimental. Good luck, Diana. Try not to die out there, all right?"

Diana nodded, turning around.

"Dimension door," she whispered, a portal to emptiness appearing.

She took one look back at Minerva's nostalgic face before leaving Ceres behind.

(ILH)

Diana stepped into her father's meeting room. The walls and floors were grey, just like the rest of Vulcan. If Apollo Carpainter was surprised at seeing his daughter walk into his room through a dimensional rift, he didn't let it show. He turned around, revealing a handsome face with creepy blue hair.

"Diana," he said, his eyes fiery and his smile icy. "The starman escaped."

 _He's not a starman!_ Diana wanted to shout, barely able to force her anger down. _He's just a normal kid named Ness._

"…And?" she asked lifelessly.

Diana's father walked circles around her, chuckling madly.

"God wishes for us to hunt down all aliens. Surely you know that starmen can disguise themselves as humans? Oh, they can't enter Ceres because of that barrier, but people on Ceres don't care about us. We need to root the starmen out of our planet. Any man, woman, or child with innate psionic potential could be a starman. You must bring them here for me to judge."

Diana tried not to listen. She had been trained for _so long_ to follow that voice, and now she had to tear herself away. It felt like she was splitting in two

"Do you ever judge someone innocent?" Diana asked.

"No, because they are all guilty," her father replied. "Starmen are an inferior race, and god has tasked me with overseeing their extinction. You shall be his finest tool. Keep up your good work, and heaven will wait for you."

 _How can he even say that?_ Diana thought. _He's asking me to kill innocent people and says that I'll be rewarded. I still can't quite grasp how messed up that is._

"I have psionic powers," Diana said. "Does that make me a starman?"

Her father laughed maniacally.

"Of course not, my dear! There are a few people out there who can use psionics, but most of the 'people' with innate psionic potential who we've seen are starmen. Did you know that there are fewer than 2000 psions in the universe? The chance of finding another human with psionic potential in the population of this city is quite low."

 _Ness isn't a starman,_ Diana thought. _Juno isn't a starman. Their expressions of fear were too real._

"Maybe there are so few psions because most people can't afford to make it to a small town in Earth to get tested," Diana suggested.

Her father's expression twisted. He glared at her, his frown so large that it almost seemed comedic. It didn't seem funny to Diana, though. She fought down the fear that she had been conditioned to feel.

"God has told me _personally_ that I must take out the starmen," he said. "God trusted _me,_ not you! Learn your place! You must be meek and obedient. Only then can you go to heaven."

 _Stop!_ Diana wanted to scream. _Stop spouting lies! I… can't take it much longer._

"All right," Diana said, trying not to let her loathing show. "I understand. I'm sorry, father."

"You've been acting rebellious lately," her father said. "Where were you during the last starman's execution?"

 _Distracting your little zealots,_ Diana thought. _Because Ness is_ not _a starman!_

"You didn't say that I had to be there," Diana replied.

"Ah, I didn't, but _god_ did," her father replied. "You must accept that you are his tool! You must do what he says, which means ensuring that all starmen are eradicated!"

 _So crazy…_ Diana thought. _I believed his words just a month ago._

She didn't know if she should laugh or cry at that thought.

"The fault is on you!" her father shouted, his eyes lighting up with zeal.

"…Why do we need the executions?" Diana asked. "Why do we need the crowd? Why do we need the zeal?"

"Stop asking questions!" her father snapped. "God didn't create us to question him."

 _I think that he did,_ Diana thought. _Why else give us cognitive capabilities?_

"But to answer your question," her father continued, his voice returning to neutral in a split second. "In order to fill god's requests, we must spread his will. Everyone on Earth, Ceres, and Aphrodite is going to hell. Everyone else on Vulcan will follow if we don't save them first."

Diana tried to suppress memories that surfaced from her unconscious. She saw limbs flying, blood splattering, a crowd cheering, and a boy weeping. She had to remind herself that each of those memories came from a different scene. They all seemed connected to one event.

But Diana wasn't the kind of person to commit only _one_ atrocity.

"…Okay," Diana replied, feeling like she needed to get outside and breath fresh air even though she knew that polluted air existed on this planet. "Shall I hunt down the… starman?"

Her father eyed her carefully.

"You hesitate. You should not."

 _How can I determine what I should do if I don't think about my other options first?_ Diana wanted to yell.

"This is about Juno, isn't it?" her father asked.

Diana slowly nodded.

"I know that I _shouldn't_ question you or god, but I _do,_ " she lied, disturbed at how natural her words seemed. "Please help me, father."

"I know that it can be hard to accept that someone who pretended to worship god just like us was a starman," her father said. "One that managed to escape, no less! I will not ask you to hunt her down."

Diana gave a sincere sigh of relief.

"To return to your faith, you must hunt down and capture the other starman," her father continued. "We shall bring it to justice."

Diana tried not to sneer as her father's eyes lit up with zeal.

"The one that goes by Ness?" Diana asked.

Her father nodded, his chilling smile making Diana want to run screaming out of the room.

"That will help me rid myself of doubt?" she asked, trying to sound sincere.

"Yes," her father replied. "But if you fail…" the corners of his mouth turned upward to form a sadistic smile.

Diana didn't have to pretend to be afraid.

"I… I understand," she said shakily. "I don't want to suffer your wrath, or god's."

Her father nodded.

"You may go now," he said.

As Diana opened the door to leave, her father cleared his throat. Diana turned back around to face him.

"God does not look kindly upon those who fail him," her father said with a cruel smile. "How would you like to spend an eternity burning in hell?"

 _Honestly, I don't give a damn,_ Diana thought.


	22. Interlude: Diana (part 2)

**Here's the other half! :) I'm going to publish the next chapter of Time Distorter tomorrow and probably go mia to work on college apps. *sighs***

 **Review Response:**

 **PSIBoy:** **Yep, the Minerva mystery continues! :D Yep, I used the Red Scares in America as inspiration for the starmen inside population lie thingy. Yeah, definitely. Carpainter seeks for them to fear each other and then he preys on their fear. Well, fear and false hope, as we see from Diana's perspective in this chapter. Yeah, I really do make a lot of bad parents, huh? I guess it's because my parents are so good that I always wondered how I would turn out in a different situation... And we'll see if your mental image comes true! ;)**

* * *

It took Diana about an hour to walk to the site of Ness' botched execution. Once there, she went to the concrete stage where victims were thrown to the mob. Wherever she looked, she could spot bloodstains.

 _This is father's impact on the world,_ Diana thought. _This is his scar._

Not many people walked through the execution area, partly because they feared Diana's father but also because it was fairly secluded.

 _I guess I'm going to follow through with some of father's orders after all,_ Diana thought wryly. _I do need to find Ness._

Diana turned on her PSI vision.

Suddenly, she could see the world psionically rather than just physically. The physical world was defined by the laws of physics while the psionic world carried its own set of rules. Whenever a thought was formed in the physical realm, a certain amount of _energy_ was created in the psionic realm. Psionics was simply the process of utilizing that energy. Non-psionics users still formed energy in the psionic realm with their thoughts; they simply couldn't _harness_ that energy to perform useful tasks.

But that wasn't what Diana was interested in. The psionic realm was littered with thoughts, thoughts that came to life. Diana could _sense_ those thoughts, just like she could sense physical objects with touch and sight. People appeared as entire worlds with an impossibly complex arrange of thoughts. However, that still didn't interest Diana. Starmen needed to see people in the psionic realm, but Diana's physical senses did the job better.

What interested Diana were the leftover thoughts. Whenever a thought was conjured in the physical ream, it transferred over to the psionic realm, allowing starmen and people like Diana to detect them. These thoughts grew fainter over time, but always stayed in the place where they were conceived.

Diana took a second to marvel at the world. She could see in terms of physical features _and_ thoughts. Starmen could only see thoughts while other humans could only see the physical world. Diana didn't know how it would feel to only have the ability to sense in one plane of existence. The universe would seem so _flat._

 _We take so much for granted,_ Diana thought. _I can sense two universes, each one with its own beauty. Others only see in terms of one, but they are still lucky that they can view the world around them at all. What would it be like to not be able to interpret the universe in any way?_

 _What would it be like to experience true emptiness?_

Diana shook her head. She could contemplate worthless philosophy later. She closed her eyes so that the physical realm wouldn't distract her from the psionic one. She waded through thoughts and feelings. Most of them depicted exhilaration and eagerness. Those belonged her father's zealots and the civilians that they inspired. Diana was looking for something else.

She caught a whiff of fear and honed in, focusing her mind on that single tendril of thought. It was partially blocked out by all of the excitement, but it still shone through like a star in the emptiness of the night. Diana examined the fear closely and saw thoughts of blood, thoughts of red. She saw a boy getting ripped to shreds by a mob. The thoughts seemed so _defeated._ That hit Diana harder than she had expected it to.

It took more examination to identify the owner of those thoughts: Ness. Diana smiled sadly. Each person's thoughts had a special touch to them, in the same way that no two faces looked exactly alike. Each one was different due to a combination of genetics and experiences. Just like a face, a person's style of thoughts was difficult to remember exactly, but Diana could easily recognize his thoughts if she saw more of them.

This was why people called her "the huntress." Once Diana identified a person based on their thoughts, she could track their trail. After all, thoughts stayed in their site of conception, and people never stopped thinking, even while sleeping. Wherever someone went, he or she would leave a trail of thoughts behind. All that Diana had to do was follow that cognitive string. Once the huntress had set her sights on a victim, nothing would allow them to hide from her. Her father noticed this fact early on in Diana's childhood and used her to track down his supposed "starmen." Her father and Minerva had PSI vision, but only Diana could see so deeply into a person's leftover thoughts. Thoughts left in a location decayed over time (otherwise, Diana would have spotted thoughts from millennia ago) to the point that neither Minerva nor her father could track a person through the psionic realm after more than an hour.

 _This is different,_ Diana reminded herself. _I track to save rather than to kill._

She looked forward towards the psionic string of fear and pain that lead outward from the execution stage. She had to follow it, however far it took her. Such an endeavor would take hours, maybe even days.

But Diana had nothing but time on her hands after throwing away everything that she believed in.

(ILH)

After hours of following the trail of fear, Diana found herself on a lonely road, her cowl obscuring her face. She identified this area as a war zone. While cities on Vulcan technically had governments, large corporations ruled the planet in all but name. They controlled the population of Vulcan completely, distributing food, water, and shelter in exchange for work. It struck Diana as ironic that capitalistic corporations didn't pay their workers. The companies viewed people and even planets as tools. They would use workers and resources, leaving only human and chemical waste behind. The worst part was that nobody cared enough to complain. Everyone was too afraid for their own survival to concern themselves with others.

That is, until Diana's father came along.

One of the reasons that Apollo Carpainter had captivated the people of Vulcan was that he brought something new to them: hope. He offered them something empty, but people would rather cling onto a shell than nothing at all. He promised that his followers would go to heaven, promises which a generation of depressed Vulcanese lapped up like milk. He also brought a sense of community to the people. For once, they were doing something for someone other than themselves.

It was too bad that her father had used his people just as the companies had.

Now, her father's zealots occupied major parts of the city, including one of Vulcan's astroports. This prompted a backlash from the major company in the area (which was called "Duncan's"), resulting in a turf war between the two. This street was right in the middle of the conflict. As Diana walked forward, still following Ness' string of thoughts, she detected a pair of thugs approaching her.

Diana's eyes were closed, but she could still make out their basic shape with her PSI vision. She cringed upon spotting their motives. They didn't know which gender Diana was without being able to see her face, but both of them wanted to rape her if she turned out to be a woman. And then of course they would slit her throat and leave her corpse in the alley.

Diana's eyes snapped open, partly for the increased precision but also so that she wouldn't have to stare at the thugs' thoughts any longer. She reached down to a pocketed strap on her left arm and pulled out a miniature bow. As soon as the weapon left the strap, it grew to the size of a full weapon. The two thugs hesitated before turning tail and running, clearly not wanting to risk their luck against someone who could potentially fight.

Diana shook her head ruefully. Did they really think that they could escape? She pulled an arrow out of her quiver and nocked it in her bow.

 _Ready… set… wait!_

Diana paused, realizing that her left arm was shaking uncontrollably.

 _I can't aim my bow like this!_ she thought, gritting her teeth.

She tried to keep her arm still. Nothing worked. It was as if her arm had a mind of its own and didn't want to shoot anyone else ever again.

 _But some people deserve to die,_ Diana thought. _Just like those men._

But did they? Maybe her arm was right and _nobody_ deserved to die. Diana wanted to confront that idea with logic, but she didn't have any experiences to form a moral judgement. Her father had always told her to do what god demanded. Well, god wasn't going to help her now, just like he wouldn't help all of the starving workers on this planet.

 _Those men were planning to do a horrible thing to me!_ Diana thought. _Shouldn't they die?_

But did someone really deserve to die for something that they _planned?_ Being able to see in the psionic realm, Diana tended to associate thoughts with actions. But were they really on the same level? Was planning a murder really the same as taking a knife to someone's throat and watching their life slip away? Diana desperately wanted to know the answer.

 _I've always wanted easy answers,_ Diana thought. _Maybe that's why I'm so gullible._

She shook her head. The thugs had escaped, and Diana had a goal that she couldn't afford to postpone. She once again closed her eyes, focusing on the thoughts and ideas around her. It took only a few seconds to pick up on Ness' thought trail. After a few more minutes, Diana arrived at a seemingly abandoned house. She could hear faint voices coming from inside. She walked around the perimeter of the dwelling, looking to see if Ness' thought trail left the shelter. She smiled when she found many more people coming in, but none leaving. Ness really _was_ here.

Diana felt an uncharacteristic sense of nervousness well up in her stomach, creating minor nausea. She forced her discomfort down and knocked on the door. Instantly, the voices silenced.

"Go away!" she heard a man shout. "We don't want you here, whoever you are."

 _Oh, but you do,_ Diana thought. _You just don't know it yet._

She sighed inwardly, teleporting past the door and into the house. Psychoporation psionics had never been her specialty, but she could use teleportation in a pinch. Diana found herself standing right in front of a tall man. If he was surprised by Diana's appearance, he didn't show it.

"Who _are_ you?" he asked.

"A psion," Diana replied.

The man didn't seem afraid, surprisingly. He lashed out with his arm, pulling Diana's hood back and revealing her face. He gasped in shock. There was the fear that Diana had grown to expect.

"She found us!" the man shouted. "We're all going to die!"

Diana sighed out loud. She didn't want to have to disarm a group of angry people. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a ladder leading downward. That would explain how so many people were packed into such a small house. Hearing the man continue to scream his head off, Diana scaled the ladder and appeared in a large, grey basement. A hundred pairs of eyes locked onto Diana. Every person in this room recognized her. Every person in the room feared her.

A stocky woman lunged at Diana with her bare hands. Diana stepped to the side, dodging the woman's attack. She lashed out with her foot, striking the woman's ankle and sending her tumbling to the ground.

"I am not your enemy," Diana announced.

An angry torrent of voices followed. Diana tried to keep from blushing. She felt ashamed, but she couldn't afford to seem weak.

"Please," she said, her voice firm but calm. "You know me. If I wanted to, I could snap my fingers and kill you all."

It wasn't that simple. Diana's psychokinetic powers were next to useless, a fact that she desperately tried to hide. Still, none of these people would know that. Diana looked around the room. The voices quieted down, but most of the people still looked scared.

"All right," a man said. He stepped forward, giving Diana a good look at him. The first thing that she noticed was that he wore a suit, marking him as a businessman. He possessed sleek, black hair and stood tall, not cowering like the rest. He looked at Diana in distrust, but something about his pose made Diana think that he viewed her as a human instead of a mindless monster. "If you did not come to hurt us, then why are you here?"

"I want to help," Diana whispered. "I recognize the fault in my ways."

"It's a trap," the man said dismissively, "But luckily for you, we have nowhere to flee. Not quickly, at least. You win, bitch."

"I honestly want to help," Diana said. "Like you said, I can do pretty much whatever I want with you. I am choosing to do nothing."

"So you would let us all walk away if we asked?" the man demanded.

"Yes," Diana said, steeling her tone, "But I have skills that you need. I'm sure that you know how my father has taken control of this city's astroport, yes?"

The man nodded, sighing wearily.

"We're trapped," he whispered, balling his hands into fists. "We're trapped with no way out."

 _If only I could use dimension door to teleport everyone to Earth,_ Diana thought, _But I could never hold it up long enough for everyone to leap through._

"I can help," Diana said. "I know that you shouldn't trust me, but wouldn't it help to have a psion take out all of the guards?"

Diana saw a hope flicker in the man's eyes, quickly giving way to distrust.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked.

"Because you have no choice," Diana replied.

"We always have a choice," the man said with a rueful smile. "We could charge your father's men and die. We would take a few of those bastards out with us. That might mean more to us than the flicker of survival that you can offer."

"What about the boy?" Diana asked. "The one named Ness."

The man's face hardened.

"Stay the psych away from him! He's terrified of you!"

 _That voice… so protective._

"Are you his father?" Diana asked. "You look like him."

The man's eyes narrowed.

"…Yes," he admitted. "Ness is my son. My name is Nick, and my family lives on Earth. Ness has the rest of his life ahead of him."

"He has awakened psionic powers," Diana said.

Nick sighed.

"I live on Onett, where the awakening meteorite is. Well, I say that I do, but I really live here on Vulcan. My family lives back there, though."

"Why is Ness here?" Diana asked, although she already had a loose idea from viewing his thoughts.

"He and his mom wanted to show me his psionic powers in person," Nick replied. "I don't come home often, you see. Maybe once every couple of years. Ness was so proud of his powers. That's one of the few tickets into a better life in this universe… he thought that he was so lucky."

An awkward silence hung between the two of them. It was Diana who had originally hunted down Ness and captured him. She had crushed that little boy's spirit, stamping out any semblance of hope. Even though she had killed hundreds of innocent people, her crime against Ness stuck out the most in her mind. Why was that?

"You must really care about him," Diana said. _I wish that I knew what that was like._

"…Not that it's your concern," Nick said coldly. "After all, you _did_ cause all of this trouble for us. Well, you and your father."

Heads all around the room nodded. Diana looked at each one. Some looked like businessmen, but others appeared to be common workers. It boggled her mind that the two groups could work together. The struggle of labor against administration stemmed from Vulcan's colonization a millennium ago.

"I assume that you all are horrified by my father's… religion?" Diana asked.

"More like a cult," Nick spat.

 _True,_ Diana thought.

People snarled and muttered under their breath.

"Most of these people would like to strangle you alive," Nick said with a cold smile.

 _Wonderful,_ Diana thought.

"Well, I don't expect to believe me, but I really feel for you all," she said. "I feel trapped by him, too. He trained me his whole life to be his little hound. Trying to break away from that is harder than it sounds."

"It is hard for us to feel sympathy for you," Nick replied. "Your story might be true, but I simply cannot muster the will to care."

 _Can't really blame you,_ Diana thought.

"Let's cut to the chase," Diana said. "Are you desperate enough to let me help you?"

Heads around the room hesitantly nodded.

"…I guess that's it," Nick said. "We have a tunnel that leads to a place right behind the astroport. If you can take out the guards, we should be able to escape."

Diana nodded.

"That should be simple enough," she said. "But before that, I would like to talk to Ness."

"No," Nick responded instantly. "You won't go anywhere near him. All of the good intentions in the world can't erase the pain that you caused him."

"This is important," Diana protested.

"I don't care," Nick replied flatly.

"More important than anything else in my life," Diana said.

"I don't care," Nick repeated.

"It's okay, dad," a hushed voice whispered.

A young boy that couldn't have been older than 13 or 14 stepped out of the crowd. Diana remembered his sullen face and the heavy way that he walked too well. He looked up at Diana, his eyes empty.

"Ness!" Nick protested. "You were supposed to stay in the safe room!"

"…She helped me escape," Ness said lifelessly, shrinking back. "Why do you think that there were no guards around when I fled the execution block? Diana distracted them. I saw her."

Diana looked at Ness, feeling sorrow well up in her heart. She had caused… this!

"I am _so_ sorry, Ness!" she exclaimed. "I… I don't know what else to say."

Ness shied back further.

"I know that you don't want to hurt me, but I still feel terrified," he whispered. "Why am I so weak?"

"You're not weak!" Nick protested.

"I'm a psionic initiate," Ness said, "And I've been useless."

"You can't blame yourself for that!" Diana exclaimed. "You were pitted against me, and I've been training my whole life."

"…"

 _Please, say something!_ Diana wanted to beg. _Curse me, attack me, I don't care. Just don't stare at me with those empty eyes!_

"You can see what state he's in," Nick said, bending down and hugging his son. "Please don't torment him further."

"Ness," Diana whispered. "I might have the key to making you stronger."

Ness' dull eyes lit up.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice still colorless.

"I need to examine you," she said. "Is that all right?"

Ness nodded.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked Ness.

"I don't think that she can hurt me anymore," Ness whispered. "I don't think that _anyone_ can hurt me anymore."

Those words nearly broke Diana's heart. Without waiting for further confirmation, she opened her PSI vision. She could make out Ness' complex of thoughts and was surprised at how _empty_ it was. He didn't feel happy. He didn't feel sad. He didn't feel _anything._

Diana gritted her teeth as she dove deeper. Amidst the grey thoughts around her, she could see waves… sound waves. They resonated in a way that sounded foreign to Diana.

 _Can it be…?_ she asked herself. She had suspected this ever since she met him, but the idea just seemed so far-fetched…

Diana zoomed in on those waves and detected a bond between them and the physical realm that she had never seen before. Normally, most psions could only use about 10% of the energy from the psionic realm because the rest was lost to a sort of friction between dimensions. The most powerful psions could bump that number up to 25%. Diana found a bond in Ness' body that looked like it would allow _40%._

 _Now I just have to activate it,_ she thought.

Diana transferred some of her psionic energy over to Ness' body. The boy cringed, likely feeling a sense of power wanting to burst from his system.

"It feels… hot," he whispered.

"It's called a PSI fever," Diana explained. "Normally, your body devotes a lot of psionic energy to making you learn a new power, and some of that energy spills over to the physical realm as heat. I simply… activated it early."

Ness started to sweat. He closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he opened them again. As he did, a low, musical rumble sounded, shaking the building. He turned to Diana with wide eyes.

"What was _that?_ " he asked.

"PK Rockin," she replied. "A power that has been lost for almost 300 years. It's more powerful than any other psionic ability known today."

"What does it do?" he asked, looking distrustful.

"Well… I don't really know," Diana replied. "I'm not a scholar, and most psions with powerful abilities tended to hide them, leaving a shaky record of history. You should work on learning about your abilities when you get home."

" _If_ I get back home," Ness said with a sigh.

"No," Diana responded. "You _will_ get back home. I promise, Ness."

"…I trust you, even though I shouldn't," he whispered. "That will get me into trouble someday."

 _I know how you feel, kid,_ Diana thought.

"Let's just focus on getting out of here, all right?" she asked with a smile. "We'll head through the tunnel, I'll beat up some guards, and then you get to go home. Is everyone ready?"

Heads nodded, none more vigorously than Ness' father Nick.

(ILH)

After walking through the tunnel for about an hour, Diana emerged into the light.

"Even if we do escape, I worry," Nick whispered. "Most of the factory workers with us don't have a home on Earth. In Eagleland, we have a few stereotypes about immigrants. None of them are good."

"Better there than here, right?" Diana asked.

"I suppose so," Nick replied.

"Wait here while I kill some guards, all right?"

"Kill?"

"Yeah… these people are some of the nastiest that I've seen. They deserve it."

"Maybe they do," Nick replied. "But is it right for _you_ to kill them?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Diana asked, not quite knowing what Nick meant.

"Because killing is heavy. Knowing that you robbed a human being just like you of life's beauties is too much for me. It makes me wonder how others can kill."

"I just don't think about it," Diana replied with a sigh. "I'm trying to work on being more aware, but these people _do_ deserve to die."

Nick looked like he didn't agree but said nothing.

"I'm going to stab the guards," she said, pointing to a pair of figures standing outside of the astroport. "I've been in the astroport while father occupied it before. The only guards are the ones at the front."

"That seems suspicious," Nick replied. "Why would he only set up guards in the front?"

"He's overconfident," Diana replied. "He knows that most of the businessmen like you don't know how to fight and control the workers through threats alone. Nobody has really been able to stand up to him before."

"Don't lump me with the CEOs," Nick hissed. "I'm just trying to get by like everyone else."

 _But you trying to get by has harmed hundreds of people,_ Diana thought. _How can you not feel guilty about it?_

Diana looked up into Nick's eyes. They shimmered with reluctance. He _did_ feel the guilt, but he felt that he had no choice but to keep on treading forward, no matter who was harmed. Diana didn't know how to feel about that.

"I'll be right back," she replied.

Diana opened her PSI vision, scanning both of the guards. They both seemed bored. Diana smiled. Since neither of them were alert, killing them should be easy. She just had to make sure that they didn't sound the alarm. Diana reached down into her pockets, pulling out a pair of daggers. She closed her eyes, still able to see the guards through her PSI vision.

"Teleport," she whispered.

She vanished and appeared right in front of the guards. She could see their surprised thoughts through her PSI vision. Diana flicked each knife at a throat. She opened her eyes to see two corpses standing in front of her, each one leaking blood. Neither one had made a sound.

 _So easy,_ Diana thought. _A few words and a flick of a knife. A lifetime of opportunities lost. Why aren't we more resilient than that?_

"Teleport," Diana whispered, grabbing her knives and warping back to Nick and his band of refugees.

As she appeared, Nick's face blanched. It took a second for Diana to figure out why.

"You're squeamish about blood?" she asked, holding up her bloody knives.

Nick nodded.

 _Uh… most children grow out of that by age six,_ Diana thought. _Being squeamish about blood is like fearing the dark. Neither one should happen to adults._

"Let's go," Diana said. "The coast is clear. I'll get you boarded onto a spaceship and send you on your way to Earth."

One by one, the refugees filed out of the tunnel. Each one wore a tired face, yet hope lay under that exhaustion. Something about the way that they walked seemed livelier.

 _We really are different when we have something to care about,_ Diana thought. _And all this time, I've had nothing. Who could I be if I found something to fight for?_

Diana shook her head. She couldn't worry herself with fantasies when a true escape lay right in front of her eyes. Slowly, Diana led the group of refugees forward.

Almost as soon as they started, Diana detected a powerful instance of psionics right in front of her. She didn't have time to react before her father appeared right in front of her, along with hundreds of armed zealots. The zealots formed a circle as they surrounded the group of refugees, herding them in like sheep about to be slaughtered.

 _No!_ Diana thought, taking a step back. She looked at the astroport. _It's so close… I was so close…_

"Bitch!" Nick shouted at her, his face cherry-red with anger. "This _was_ a trap."

"No…" Diana protested weakly. "I didn't… I wouldn't…"

"My daughter is correct," her father said, his eyes burning with delight. "She didn't have anything to do with this."

"Apollo Carpainter," Nick hissed at Diana's father. "How did you find us?"

"Psionics allows me to do many things," Apollo replied with a mad smile. "But every word I speak gives you another opportunity to escape. Goodbye."

Diana opened her mouth to protest, but she didn't react in time. A cylinder of lightning fell from the sky, electrocuting Diana and those around her.

She must have fallen to the ground somehow, because she opened her eyes to find herself lying atop a pile of corpses. Years of training allowed her to shrug off the pain, but nothing could compare to the shock at seeing the pile of corpses beneath her. She stared in horror, not able to comprehend the significance of the bodies. Nobody made a sound. Diana looked up, scanning the area around her. Every single refugee was lying on the ground. They were piled up on each other, forming a human haystack.

Not one of them moved. _No,_ Diana thought. _It can't be! So many people couldn't have just… died._

Diana opened her mouth, wanting to say something. She wanted to scream because she had been _so close._ She wanted to cry for those who were lost. She wanted to yell at her father for killing a hundred human beings in less than a second. Rage battled disgust, neither side wanting to give in.

Diana got to her feet, and nearly barfed upon realizing that she had just stepped on someone's face. She was standing on the corpses of people who had been alive and healthy just seconds ago. She looked up to her father, who was wearing the same cold smile as always.

"I never thought that you would betray me, Diana," Apollo said in a condescending tone that made Diana want to stab him. "Luckily, god granted me the ability to read your thoughts. I saw your rebellion before you yourself recognized it. All that I had to do was put tracking psionics on you and wait. I knew about your little meeting with Minerva. I know how you distracted god's agents so that the starmen could escape. I know _everything_ that you did!"

Diana's eyes widened in horror.

 _Oh no,_ she thought. _No. No no no. THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!_

Diana buried her face in her arms.

She had been played all along. She had been used as a puppet one last time, and now her father was about to throw her in the trash. But even that seemed insignificant next to the helplessness that she felt. A hundred people had been butchered right in front of her eyes, and she did _nothing_ to stop it!

Diana let out a feral scream.

"Yes," her father said. "Without god, you are nothing. You are an animal. You are lucky that god is forgiving. If you come back to us now, he will let you redeem yourself."

"No," Diana whispered.

Her father frowned.

"You turn away the only ones who have ever loved you," he said. "Me and god. You abandon us for these lawless _savages._ We loved you, my child. We raised you together. God was the mother who you never had. He raised you and protected you, and now you want to abandon him?"

Diana forced her guilt down. She would _not_ fall prey to her father's propaganda again.

"No!" She shouted, her raw voice ringing out amidst the silence.

For the first time, she looked at the zealots that stood in a circle around the pile of corpses. None of them had been hurt by her father's lightning. Every one of them looked at the haystack of bodies with a blank expression. They didn't care that a hundred people _just like them_ were just slaughtered right before their eyes. Diana's anger grew.

They were horrible, _horrible_ people.

"I'M NOT DONE!" she yelled. She continued softly, "There is still something that I can do."

Her father scoffed.

"What can you do?" he asked. "No matter how far you run, I will find you. I can track people the same way that you can."

"I don't plan on running," Diana hissed. "I can bring these people back to life. I can make their metabolisms work for a little longer."

Her father laughed scornfully.

"Only god has the power to give people life," he said. "You can't _imitate_ something so divine."

Diana had taken enough of her father's venomous words. With a scream, she unleashed all of the psionic energy she had, using it to try to heal the corpses. Psychometabolism had always been her specialty, so surely she could do _something_ with these corpses, right?

Diana pushed mentally, harder than she had ever before in her life. Slowly, she wove her psionic energy into the bodies of the dead. Their muscles still worked; they just needed to receive a mental command from the brain. Of course, their brains were fried and couldn't give any orders.

However, they could still receive _psionic_ orders.

With another scream, Diana activated the metabolisms of the corpses. Slowly, she commanded each one to stand with her telepathy PSI. The corpses staggered to their feet, looking out with empty eyes. The zealots took a step back, looking nervously at Diana's army of zombies. Her father, however, looked unperturbed.

"Ah, so you have taken control of your corpses," he said. "That makes you no more than a necromancer! You use the devil's powers!"

Diana gritted her teeth as the zealots recovered from their shock. Necromancy wasn't even a psionic discipline, but _they_ wouldn't know that.

"Kill my daughter," Diana' father said, waving his hand dismissively. "She needs to have a meeting with god, and I would hate to take all of his glory for myself."

The zealots advanced forward, swords pointed at her. Diana tried to command her zombies to attack, but she found the task virtually impossible. To have them attack, Diana had to signal each one to move their legs forward, one at a time. Even after that, she needed to consciously tell them when and how to strike. Additionally, each mental command required psionic energy, and she could feel herself starting to run low. She could do control a single corpse to attack the zealots. Maybe two or three. Never ten, much less a hundred.

"You can't give them life!" Her father cackled with glee. "They don't have souls anymore! They can't act without your every command."

"You're wrong," Diana heard a voice whisperer.

She looked to the side to see Ness standing right next to her. Had he been buried under the pile of corpses? Ness looked up at Apollo Carpainter, his eyes shining with loathing.

"You!" Apollo yelled. "Starman! Brothers, you must wipe the filth from Vulcan! Rid us of this starman! Claim god's glory for your own!"

 _He's almost out of psionic power!_ Diana realized. _Otherwise, he would try to kill Ness himself. We might be able to escape…_

"Filth, am I?" Ness asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

The zealots advanced, one step at a time. With each step, their confidence seemed to grow.

"Ness," Diana whispered urgently. "We need to get out of here."

"…Not yet," Ness replied, his eyes shining with determination. "Not before they pay."

 _What can you possibly do?_ Diana wanted to shout, but she didn't want to break his spirit even more.

"Your time is up!" Diana's father yelled. "Go and teleport away! I'll find you two if I have to go to Ceres to do it!"

"PK Rockin," Ness whispered.

Rainbow-colored hexagons sprung from his hands, each one attaching to the chest of each corpse, almost like an external heart. Diana felt herself start to lose control of her zombies.

"Attack," Ness whispered.

Diana almost lost her concentration in surprise as the corpses charged forward, each one balancing itself perfectly. _She_ certainly hadn't told them to move like that.

"I gave them wills of their own," Ness explained.

"…How did you know that you could?" Diana asked.

Ness shrugged.

"It just felt right," he said.

Diana regarded the corpses… no, the _humans._ Ness had given them life. True, real, life. They wore real expressions on their faces and walked in different ways. They weren't Ness' mindless robots. He had given them minds of their own.

 _If something from the psionic realm can grant conscience,_ Diana thought, _Then life has nothing to do with divinity. Just one more nail in the coffin of my past, I suppose._

If Diana was surprised at how the corpses moved on their own, the zealots were _stupefied._ They tried to jab at Ness' army with their swords, but they soon realized that these new humans didn't react to wounds.

"They don't feel pain," Ness whispered. "Only anger. Only rage."

Diana shivered. For a second, she felt her grip on the army's metabolism weaken and redoubled her efforts. She still had to give the army her psionic power so that their muscles would continue to work.

Ness' army systematically disarmed and slaughtered the zealots. For people who had never had military experience in their first lives, Ness' soldiers fought like veterans now. Ten zealots fell for every one of Ness' fighters. Soon, the battlefield reeked of sweat and blood.

"Kill my daughter and the starman!" Diana's father shouted. "Ignore the zombies!"

The zealots nodded, trying to charge past Ness' soldiers. Ness furrowed his eyebrows, likely sending a mental order. Suddenly, a dozen of the soldiers formed a defensive wall in front of Ness and Diana. Each one held a sword that it must have stolen. Any zealot that tried to make it to them found himself (or herself) impaled by a soldier's blade. A group of Ness' soldiers advanced towards Diana's father.

"No," Apollo Carpainter whispered, his eyes alight with zeal. "This ends here!"

A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, electrocuting zealots and soldiers alike. Diana fought her way through the pain, but she couldn't take the guilt. That bolt had surely killed Ness…

 _This is it,_ she thought, not wanting to live longer. She started to loosen her control over the zombies. _This is how I go down. If hell is real, I'll see just how painful eternal suffering is. I suppose that I deserve it._

"Diana," she heard. "Keep the soldiers going."

Diana's eyes snapped open, looking at Ness. He looked frazzled and exhausted, but he was definitely alive. A smile crept onto Diana's face. How had he _possibly_ survived that attack?

"Can do!" Diana exclaimed, redoubling her efforts.

Multiple zealots had been killed by her father's lightning, but most of Ness' soldiers seemed fine once Diana reactivated their metabolisms.

"No!" Apollo Carpainter exclaimed. "No! This can't be happening! I strike down the evil in god's name!"

"Kill," Ness whispered, directing his army towards Diana's father.

Apollo Carpainter's eyes boggled.

"Teleport!" he shouted, making hand motions and promptly disappearing from sight.

All of the surviving zealots broke and ran.

 _We… did it,_ Diana thought weakly, feeling like she was about to barf. _Why does victory feel so damn awful?_

"Good job," she said with a heavy sigh.

Diana released her concentration, letting the soldiers fall to the ground.

"No," Ness whispered, turning away and hugging himself.

"You did-"

"I'm scared," he whispered. "Scared of you, scared of your dad, scared of ending up like _them._ " he pointed to the refugees. "That fear made me kill, which scares me too."

"They deserved to die," Diana said.

"Nobody deserves to die," Ness whispered sadly. "I want to feel bad and I want to feel guilty, but the truth is that I can't feel anything at all."

Diana wanted to do something to help but didn't know what.

"I was nearly executed," Ness whispered, "And then I nearly died again today. Now I'm afraid of everything: the sky, the grass, even my own hands."

"Why don't we just send you back to Earth?" Diana asked. "I'm sure that your father…" she slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing that Nick was dead.

"I guess that I do feel bad for him," Ness whispered. "He never wanted to hurt people, you know? He cared about everyone."

 _Then why was he a manager on Vulcan?_ Diana wanted to ask.

"This feels _horrible,_ " Ness whispered, sitting down and curling up into a ball. "Knowing that I caused the death of so many. I don't want to harm another human being ever again."

"Didn't you just say that you couldn't feel anything for them?" Diana asked.

"…I guess I did," he whispered. "It still feels that way."

Diana waited for him to say more. When he didn't, she started, "Here, why don't I lead you onto the spaceship?"

Ness flinched. He didn't speak for a minute.

"Ness?" Diana asked.

"…Please go away," Ness whispered, shrinking away. "I'm so afraid… I can't take it any longer. Please leave."

Diana was heartbroken at seeing him this way after he acted so _strong_ in front of her father.

"Will you be okay on your own?" she asked.

"The ships are automated," Ness replied. "I just set it to go to Earth and then it sends me through a dimensional rift. Now would you please go away? I can't tell my brain to stop fearing you, and it's unbearable."

Diana gritted her teeth.

"All right," she whispered. "Good luck, wherever you go."

With that, Diana turned away, facing her home city on Vulcan. Her father would be somewhere in there, liking his wounds. Diana could examine his trail of thoughts up until the point when he teleported away. Then, she could determine where her father went by looking at the _substance_ of his thoughts (because if he was planning to go to his current location, he would definitely leave thoughts behind). Diana could hunt her father down if she wanted.

 _No,_ she thought. _I need to fix my own problems first, now that nobody I know is in immediate danger. Besides, I still don't know if I can kill father, even after all of this._

Diana sighed as she looked up to the perpetually grey sky, not sure where she was going or what she would do. She would have to experience life as a normal Vulcanese for a while. After that… who knew? Maybe she could redeem herself. Maybe she would end up dead in a gutter.

Diana was willing to take that risk.


	23. Chapter 17: Shadows

**Well, my college apps aren't done yet, but I did finish my first draft for everything... so I decided to take a break for a few days. This is the product! (well, this and way too much time on youtube). :)**

 **I couldn't really get the editing for this chapter right. I dunno, things just... didn't click. It's not bad enough that I cringe every time that I read it (I wouldn't publish something like that online haha), but it could definitely be better. Still, the next two chapters (I work a few chapters ahead so I have a different perspective when I come back and edit) are complete turds, so I'll see what I can do with them. But there is one part of this chapter that I like (and I won't tell you guys which it is so that you can bash it without being worried that you'll hurt my feelings :D).**

 **...And oh boy, there's so much stuff to cover after the end of part 1. No Jeff/Ana/Kuma this chapter, sadly. They'll get time in the spotlight next chapter, I promise!**

 **Review Responses:**

 **crabbyTomato:** **Yeah, I wanted to put even more background of Vulcan in. I can't really explain the culture of an entire planet in one chapter. Glad that you liked it! :) Yeah, I had to make Apollo Carpainter pretty awful to validate Diana's sketchy past. And hey, at least he's dead now, right? :)**

 **Yeah, Ness. :( Emoticon tells all. Anyways, I came up with the zombie thing on the spot and was like "this could be cool." Glad that it was! And it always makes me happy to see readers making connections like that. Ness and Lucas really are similar. And yeah, Ness still hasn't fully recovered two years later. Thanks! :)**

 **adricarra:** **Hey, you don't have to feel sorry! :) I get it. Life happens.**

 ***slowly backs away from the baseball bat***

 **Heh, not** ** _all_** **of the fathers are bad. Ness' for one, and... err... um... ._. I guess you're right. And remember that Flint does truly believe that Claus murdered Hinawa. That cuts pretty deep. But yeah, Flint did a pretty pathetic job at dealing with it.**

 **Glad that you can feel sympathy for Diana. And yeah, Ness. :( His personality just kinda... popped up right there. And yeah, Ness has the potential to be super powerful, but his psionic aura isn't strong enough to make PK Rockin better than most other psions' PK powers. In Earthbound terms, he only has PK Rockin alpha while others have access to omega powers. And thanks! :)**

 **PSIBoy:** **Well, the last two chapters were supposed to be one, so it was actually slower than I anticipated. :P Yep, Ness is pretty tragic. D: Why am I doing this to my characters? DX**

 **Heh, you're totally right that not everyone will forgive Diana. Actually, that plays into next chapter...**

 **Well, we'll see who gets affected the most this chapter. :) I really like your analysis, though. :D I think I answered the rest in my PM, so I'm going to wrap this up! See ya! :)**

 **Orangeflight of ShadowClan:** **Heh, you had plenty of time. :P And yeah, I was worried that people would get stuck on a really long chapter.**

 **Yeah, when you're a kid, everyone says to listen to your parents and follow all of the rules, but that's not always the right way to do things. Some people don't realize that there's a** ** _reason_** **that kids act rebellious. Part of what makes us a higher-order animal is our ability to form our own views and methods instead of relying completely on our parents. A cowl is basically the hood part of a cloak (or a hood by itself). :) And yeah, Diana and Minerva didn't really think about how the other person viewed them, so they both got jealous. Kinda funny but also kinda sad. D:**

 **I agree that Diana should kill her father but it just seems so outlandish to Diana that she doesn't want to. And Juno's been mentioned before. :) She'll pop up later (you'll hate her, I promise :P). And thanks for the catch! When four drafts isn't enough... *sigh* Heh, if you had PSI vision then you'd learn how to use it well. :) Yeah, Ness isn't in a good state right now. :( And Diana didn't really care that someone yanked her cowl off. I mean, she did teleport right in. :P That was kinda rude. I totally get what you mean! The dark itself isn't scary, but darkness can toy with my unease like a doll. Scary stuff...**

 **Well, sometimes it's the issue of having to choose from a lot of good stories. Mine might be good, but there will probably be other ones that are better. I'm still trying to think of how I can turn it into its own separate story, though... because of course online journals won't pay for something that's already free online. Yeah, I hope that I finish this book soon... I mean, I have two more to work on! And you'll get some Kuma backstory this chapter! :D Not much, though. Yeah, the death threat was a little crazy. *shrugs* Yep, some people want to feel like every scene is important to the plot in some way, and if I want to publish a real book then I need to appease those people.**

 **Yup, main story right here! :D**

 **Guest: Oops! Forgot to put this in. Gimme a sec while I add it... :x**

 **Thanks! :) It really means a lot to me, and here's the next chapter! :D If binge-reading is an actual term, I've totally done it. You know how this story is about 110k words? I read a 400k word book in two days. They were two school days too. xD**

* * *

 **Part 2: Planet of Poverty**

 **Fragmented Memories: Kumatora, 79 A.F, Aphrodite**

 _My life is boring._

 _I wake up and eat breakfast. After that, I run around the castle, pretending that I have someone to play with. Don't get me wrong, I love the magypsies who raised me, but they're not really human. They don't understand me. Every day, I sit by the window and hope for someone to come. Fuel used to play with me all the time, but he comes less often lately._

 _After that, I practice my PSI. The magypsies told me about this bad thing called "capitalism" on Ceres, Vulcan, and Earth. I don't understand what capitalism really is, but if it's bad then I should fight it, right?_

 _After PSI practice, I wander the halls some more. Maybe I'll scour the castle stores for food that's not too rotten, or maybe I'll head into the Sunshine Forest to scavenge. Either way, I rarely encounter other human beings._

 _Such is how life goes._

* * *

Megan Aniah walked into Minerva Carpainter's office, trying her best to put on a businesslike face. Once, she wouldn't have bothered. Once, she would have laughed and joked with the woman whom she was about to talk to.

But those days were long gone.

The room seemed _darker_ than it used to, although Megan couldn't figure out why. She looked at the president's desk, seeing Minerva scribble furiously on a piece of paper.

"Hello, Megan," the president said, not even bothering to look up.

"I have a report, Ms. President," Megan replied. "While not all of the starmen have been killed, they are trapped on Ceres with no way to escape. The Gate is fully functional and the barrier's enchantments still work. Even with extradimensional teleportation, the starmen will not be able to escape."

Normally, starmen could teleport between planets, but an enchantment on Ceres prevented psions from teleporting into or out of the dome. That was why the starmen needed to disable the Gate to get in.

A small smile came to Minerva's lips. She scribbled more words down on her piece of paper. Megan was curious as to what she was writing, but she didn't want to intrude.

"Megan," Minerva said. "You do recognize that the starman attack shouldn't have been possible, yes?"

"Of course," Megan replied. "No starman can get into Ceres with the Gate's scanning psychotechnology, and yet one clearly disabled the Gate to let the rest through…"

"You're growing sloppy, Megan," Minerva replied with a knowing smile. "It wasn't a starman who disabled the Gate."

"No," Megan replied, pulling a knifelike object out of her pocket. "This is clearly starman technology."

"So it is," Minerva replied, still not looking up from her paper. "Yet those besides starmen know about... advanced technology."

Something about Minerva's tone sent a chill down Megan's spine. The president kept jotting down words as if Megan's issue wasn't even worth her attention.

"I found a man who disabled this device," Megan said, trying to capture Minerva's attention. "His name was Mr. Agerate."

A knowing smile danced on Minerva's lips.

"Ah, him."

"Do you know him?" Megan asked.

"I know that he's trouble," Minerva replied.

"He teaches at a school!" Megan exclaimed. "We can't let him influence the coming generation if he really is bad news. Why haven't you done anything about him before?"

"Because I have no proof," Minerva answered. "And I prefer not to have _too_ many people disappear mysteriously."

Megan was surprised at how nonchalant Minerva sounded. It almost seemed like she was more worried about her assassinations being revealed than their moral ramifications.

"Can't you find proof?" Megan asked. "You're a seer, after all. Why can't you spy on him?"

"I can," Minerva replied, "And I do. He hides his tracks well. But don't worry about Agerate. He won't harm anyone soon."

 _How do you know?_ Megan wanted to ask.

"All right," Megan said. "Then how _did_ this device thingy get stuck in the Gate?"

"Surely you are aware that the empirists are working with the starmen, yes?" Minerva asked.

"Uh… no," Megan replied, feeling silly. "My husband probably does. I went straight to you after the starman attack. I'm sure that he'll tell me that once I get back."

"No worries," Minerva said. "But obviously, the starmen handed the device off to an empirist, who smuggled it onto Ceres and stuck it into the Gate. Like I said, it shouldn't have been possible. I still don't understand how the Gate's screenings didn't detect the device when it entered Ceres."

 _I don't understand either,_ Megan thought. _The gate's psychotechnology has always baffled me. I guess I'm just stupid._

"So," Megan said, trying to move on. "Do you want to study the device that the starmen used?"

"Sure," Minerva replied, _still_ not looking up from her paper as she jotted down words. "I know a thing or two about starmen technology."

Megan teleported the device over to Minerva's desk. The president picked it up, sticking it in her pocket without even looking at it.

 _Isn't she going to examine it?_ Megan thought.

"I have PSI vision, Megan," Minerva reminded her. "I don't need to see a psionic object to analyze it."

"Err… of course," Megan said, trying not to blush out of embarrassment. "Is that everything?"

"I actually have a question for you," Minerva replied.

"Ask me anything," Megan said.

"How do you take _this?_ " Minerva asked, spreading her arms out to indicate something large.

"What do you mean?" Megan replied.

"How do you deal with the corruption and condescension that go with politics?" Minerva asked, seeming exasperated. "After having lived on Ceres for so long, how are you not one of _them_? How can you still see people as _people_ and not masses? How can you convince yourself that bribery really _is_ wrong?"

"Religion," Megan replied. "Every time I start to feel myself turning into one of them, I pray. It keeps me from conforming."

Minerva snorted.

"God is a lie," she said, waving her hand in dismissal. "If he were real, this universe wouldn't be so _fucked_ up."

Megan raised an eyebrow. Minerva normally kept her language clean.

"Think about it," Minerva said. "Your little book says that we each have a chance to act well and float into the sky after we die. But what about all of the infants on Vulcan? Did you know that 40% of Vulcanese were conceived by rape and that 70% of infants don't last a _year?_ Tell me how that is _psyching_ fair!"

 _Wow,_ Megan thought, feeling her jaw drop like she recoiled in disgust. _I never knew that Vulcan was that bad._

"It… isn't fair," Megan replied shakily. "That's god's message for us here on Ceres. We need to make serious changes."

"It's not his message because nobody _psyching_ knows it," Minerva said. "Hell, you didn't know those statistics until I told them to you!"

"You know that I can keep coming up with more explanations, right?" Megan asked, growing irritated. "You can never disprove god. I know that you don't believe in him, which is fine. But I answered your question. Believing that god listens and cares about this universe helps me feel like I don't have to conform."

"It just feels like you're hiding from the truth," Minerva said, shaking her head. "You've never been on Vulcan, so you wouldn't know just how hopeless it is there."

"The truth isn't always dark," Megan replied. "Just like I've never experienced the horrors of Vulcan, you've never experienced the joy of Earth. This world is full of good _and_ bad, Minerva. Suffering isn't any more truthful than joy."

Minerva paused, cocking her head in thought.

"…I suppose I understand where you're coming from," she said.

"I have no problems with admitting that I wouldn't believe in god if I were in your position," Megan continued. "Your father played with a false religion and it burned you. It would have burned me just as easily, which is okay. God doesn't need you to believe. He just wants you to help this world."

"I swear, you're the only one who can make that religion of yours seem somewhat reasonable," Minerva replied. "Perhaps I am bitter and prejudiced. I suppose that it doesn't really matter. Thanks, Megan. I know that I've been cold lately, but hearing you talk about your hope makes me feel better."

 _Really?_ Megan thought. _Because you seemed rather hostile._

"Err… you're welcome," she replied. "May I be dismissed now? I mean, I'm fine with talking more, but I figured that I should get back to work…"

Minerva nodded.

"I wouldn't want to keep you from your job," she said with a smile. "I'll call in Agerate to give him something to worry about. Just keep sifting through the mind-boggling amount of data that you have to deal with."

"I make my husband do that," Megan said, smiling as she turned to leave. "He seems to _like_ it for some reason."

"People are strange, aren't they?" Minerva asked, a smirk dancing on her lips. "Take care, Megan."

"You take care too," Megan replied, flashing a sincere smile.

Before Megan left the room, she could have sworn that she heard Minerva whisper, "It's too late for that."

* * *

Ness couldn't sleep. He didn't want to dream, knowing that nightmares lay waiting to pounce as soon as he let his guard down.

 _I didn't sleep for days after father died,_ Ness thought, _and when I did, I kept dreaming of zombies. I tried to control them with PK Rockin, but they always turned on me. Of course they did. In my dreams, I have no power._

Ness pictured animated corpses ripping apart his flesh and shuddered. He knew that if he fell asleep, he would dream of starmen and Pokey's death. He didn't want to live through that again. He _couldn't_ live through that again. For a few hours, he tried to distract himself. Nothing worked. He couldn't just _stop_ thinking about the knife in Pokey's chest. Eventually, he decided to accept the image of Pokey's corpse instead of blocking it out. Knowing that he couldn't force the picture out of his mind, he wrestled to try and control his memories, to make the fear _his own._

He did this in the only way that he knew how to: art.

Luckily, Ness had various art supplies stored in his (far too large) room. He pulled out an easel, a canvas, and paintbrushes. To tame the image in his mind, he had to control it completely. He couldn't afford to skimp out on materials. Ness still couldn't help but cringe as he took his finest paints out. This would be art for the purpose of psychological survival. He needed every advantage that he could get.

* * *

After taking his last brush stroke, Ness set the brush down and rubbed his eyes. How had he possibly managed to paint an entire picture in practically one sitting?

 _Simple,_ Ness answered himself. _I'm too scared of the real world, so I hide in my room and do what keeps me alive._

Ness looked at his creation. Pokey lay down in the darkness, a knife embedded in his chest. However, Ness changed the background to something more… abstract. He had placed blood splotches in a way that gave the background weight without making it too distracting (even though he hadn't tried to). A mansion lay above Pokey's head, one half shining luminously and the other half covered with red splotches and pale ghosts. Under Pokey's feet lay the meteorite that had denied him psionic powers. In the way that Ness painted it, the space rock almost seemed to laugh at Pokey.

 _He died alone and broken,_ Ness thought. That realization made him want to cry, but he was too dehydrated to produce tears.

Suddenly, Ness heard an urgent knock on his door.

"Ness!" the voice exclaimed. "It's Ninten. May I come in?"

Ness nodded before realizing that Ninten couldn't see him and said, "Yes."

Ninten opened the door and strode in. Ness couldn't help but feel spiteful at how Pokey's death hadn't changed the American at all. Ninten walked up to Ness' painting, examining it closely. Ness blushed.

"I know it's girly," Ness whispered.

"That thought didn't even cross my mind," Ninten said. "I was just wondering how you managed to paint it so quickly. I've tried painting before, and it always took me several days to make anything _close_ to a finished piece."

"I just… started and didn't stop until now," Ness whispered. "Unless you count going to the bathroom a couple of times."

"When did you start?" Ninten asked.

"A few hours after we found Pokey. Why?"

Ninten blinked.

"Ness," he said. "You've been painting for over 24 hours straight."

 _Wait… what?_ Ness thought. He rubbed his eyes. They _did_ seem awfully tired.

"What time is it?" Ness asked.

"It's six in the morning," Ninten answered. "It's been 30 hours since we discovered Porky's corpse."

Ness flinched.

"Can't you treat him with more respect now that he's dead?" Ness asked. "He was more than just a corpse."

Ninten rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he said. "The point is that you haven't slept in 30 hours. That's not healthy."

 _I also haven't eaten in 30 hours,_ Ness thought, feeling his stomach rumble.

"I… guess," Ness conceded. "But it's better than the alternative."

"Which is?" Ninten asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If I sleep, I dream," Ness answered. "And I can't face my mind. Not yet."

 _Not ever._

"You have to sleep or you'll die," Ninten said bluntly. "Your brain cells need the rest, Ness. You've probably killed a few already."

 _Brain… cells?_ Ness wondered, feeling stupid. _What is Ninten talking about?_

"I'll sleep eventually," Ness said, holding up his painting of Pokey. It wasn't large, but the amount of detail that it showed surprised even Ness. "I just don't feel like it."

"Have you been getting enough to eat?" Ninten asked. "Ana told me that lack of nutrition has a psychological effect on academic performance and social skills."

"…I'm not hungry either," Ness replied. "I don't feel like doing much of _anything._ Maybe I should paint some more."

"Ness, you have to eat!" Ninten exclaimed. "Don't make me force you."

"I'm not hungry," Ness repeated icily.

"You're not hungry because your brain is going haywire worrying about more important things," Ninten replied. "But just because other things are more important doesn't mean that food is inconsequential."

"My brain is haywire, huh?" Ness whispered.

"Happens to the best of us," Ninten answered.

 _That doesn't make me feel any better!_ Ness wanted to shout. He barely managed to bite down his anger. Maybe his lack of sleep _was_ impairing his social skills.

"I'll eat later," Ness said. "I promise."

"…All right," Ninten said, shaking his head. "This is new. _I'm_ the one who's trying to support someone else? I guess this is what happens when Ann psychs up her brain."

"Wait, what?" Ness asked, concern drowning out all other emotions. "What happened to Ana?"

"Ah," Ninten said hesitantly. "I hadn't meant to say that. Basically, Ana used too much psionic energy and sprained her brain. She'll be back to normal soon."

"Sprain your brain?" Ness asked. "You can _do_ that?"

"Psions do crazy stuff with their minds," Ninten replied. "Part of which can do damage. But Ann specifically told me not to talk to you about her, so I'm just going to stop. Do you need anything else, Ness?"

A chilling fear gripped Ness. He didn't want to be left alone, but it would sound weak and inconsiderate to _say_ that, especially since Pokey was dead and Ana was injured. Ness' problems were pretty mild compared to theirs.

"No," Ness replied. "I'm… fine."

"You don't _sound_ like it," Ninten pointed out.

Ness sighed. How could he explain that he feared being left alone in the dark more than anything else? He knew that this would be the same as the catastrophe two years ago. Shadows would dance, light would fade, and nightmares would harass Ness endlessly. He wanted nothing more than to be strong and fight his bad dreams head-on, but he knew that he couldn't win.

"I just… want to forget," Ness whispered. "I want to forget all of this. Ceres, Pokey's death, the starman attack… that's selfish of me, isn't it?"

"If you mean that you're looking out for yourself, then yeah," Ninten answered. "Being selfish isn't bad, Ness. Everything is healthy in moderation. You need to care about yourself at least a _little_ if you want to stand up in this society."

"So I am selfish," Ness said, feeling his heart sink into his stomach.

"Humans are selfish creatures," Ninten replied with a shrug. "And you are less selfish than most. For example, you care about Pokey even though you probably shouldn't."

"Don't say that!" Ness hissed. "It's rude to speak critically of the dead."

"Dead or alive, he's still a jerk," Ninten said. "I'm not going to lie about who he is just because he got himself killed. It's a pity that he ended up dead in the hallway, but you shouldn't waste so much time worrying about him."

"It's a pity?" Ness asked. "Do you even believe that? You don't _seem_ to think that it's sad at all!"

"My face is always apathetic, Ness," Ninten replied. "Yes, I do care deep down that he died. I just don't see why he needs more mourning than a passing thought."

"How can you say that?" Ness demanded. "He was _murdered!_ You can't just say that about him!"

"I can and I will," Ninten said. "If you mourned this much for every person who died… well, you wouldn't be able to do anything else."

 _Stubborn little…_ Ness thought, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm sad because he died so young," Ness whispered. "He had his whole life in front of him."

"He probably would have squandered it," Ninten said.

Ness tried to bite down his anger. Why did Ninten think that he could _say_ such offensive things?

"He told me that he wanted to improve!" Ness exclaimed. "He had 60 years to change. He could have done so much…"

"And he probably wouldn't have," Ninten said bluntly. "He probably has family and self-esteem issues. Don't get me wrong, I'm sorry that he's gone, but I feel worse for the children who die on Vulcan every day."

" _Seeing_ his corpse didn't affect you?" Ness asked incredulously. "You feel just as bad for someone you've never met?"

"Yep," Ninten said. "Some of those Vulcanese kids could do amazing things. But instead, companies overwork them and they die. Thousands of kids rot away in the streets _every day._ To me, that feels much worse."

"Are you even human?" Ness demanded. "You saw Pokey's dead body and you hardly feel bad!"

"I'm a psion," Ninten said. "And you know how psions acted during the empire. They would kill thousands of civilians for minor political advantages. I haven't fallen that far, but seeing strife so often makes me callous."

"I've seen strife before!" Ness exclaimed. "I saw over a hundred people die at once! I nearly suffocated under a pile of corpses!"

Ninten's eyes widened.

"…Really?" he asked.

Ness bit his lip. He hadn't meant to let that slip.

"The point is," Ness continued, "That I've seen death and I can still feel bad for someone else."

"I feel bad," Ninten said. "I just don't think it's worth depriving my body over."

"Depriving my body?" Ness asked.

"You haven't eaten or slept in 30 hours, Ness," Ninten said. "You're hurting your body. Yeah, it sucks that Pokey died, but harming yourself isn't going to solve anything."

"Maybe I'm not looking to solve a psyching problem!" Ness yelled. "Maybe I just want to feel bad for another human who passed away!"

"Nothing's wrong with that," Ninten said. "You just need to deal with those emotions in a healthy way."

"I'm dealing with them fine!" Ness retorted.

"I can see," Ninten said, clearly not convinced. "You do know that you look _terrible,_ right? I've never seen eyes so bloodshot. Why don't you do something useful instead of-"

"Instead of painting like a girl?" Ness asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"In all honesty, yes," Ninten replied. "Think about the larger implications of Pokey's death. Do you think that the starmen killed him?"

Ness refused to let is face soften. In all honesty, he hadn't even thought about who killed Pokey.

"They didn't," Ninten continued. "Even if the starmen had a motive to kill him—which they don't—they wouldn't have used a knife to kill him. Another _human_ killed Pokey Minch, Ness."

 _No…_ Ness thought. _Why would someone kill Pokey?_

"You could investigate the autopsy," Ninten said. "Get information. Draw conclusions. What else are you going to do with your life?"

Ness looked back at his painting. Was his art… useless?

"I need to keep my monsters at bay," Ness whispered. "I don't have a choice, Ninten! Painting is how I deal with the pain around me!"

"I suppose that's fair," Ninten said with a light frown. "Just make sure that you eat and sleep, all right."

 _He doesn't understand!_ Ness shouted in his mind. _Every second that I'm not talking or painting, monsters appear in the shadows. I can't face them alone!_

"Why don't _you_ investigate his death?" Ness asked. "After all, you're the practical one. I'm the artist."

"Honestly?" Ninten asked raising an eyebrow. "I don't care."

Anger once again boiled in Ness' stomach.

"Why don't you have the decency to do _anything_ for him?" Ness asked. "You don't mourn, sure. But when you don't even use the practical solutions that you suggested, it makes me worried."

"Why should I care about Pokey?" Ninten asked bluntly. "He never meant anything to me. I would rather work on fixing things over on Vulcan."

"You knew him!" Ness shouted. "And now he's dead! Doesn't that mean _something_ to you?"

"Something, yeah," Ninten replied. "Just not much."

Ness' mouth twisted into a sneer.

"You're disgusting," he whispered venomously.

He waited for Ninten to come up with a retort. He _always_ had one up his sleeve, after all. Instead, Ninten flinched, his eyes widening in shock. He pulled his arms up to his chest defensively. If it hadn't been for his open palms, he would have looked like a boxer.

"You really think that, don't you?" Ninten asked softly, his arms dropping to his sides and his shoulders slouching. "You think that I'm a disgusting individual that should be thrust out of society like a pedophile."

A sense of horror overtook Ness.

 _Oh no…_ he thought.

"The part that hurts me is that you're probably right," Ninten said with a pained smile. "I really am pathetic, aren't I?"

"No!" Ness managed to shout. "I didn't mean it!"

"Oh, but you did," Ninten replied. "You meant every word that came out of your mouth. You're horrified because you told me what you truly believe. I get the message, Ness… I really do. Goodbye."

"No!" Ness shouted again. "I didn't mean to hurt you…"

"You still don't get it, do you?" Ninten asked, opening the door. On the way out, he turned back, his eyes shining with pain. "People like me deserve to be hurt."

* * *

Ness hid in the corner of his room. How could he face _anything_ after what he had done to Ninten? He heard someone knock on his door.

 _Go away!_ Ness wanted to shout.

"May I come in?" the voice asked.

 _That Dalaamian accent…_ Ness thought. _It has to be Poo. Why is he here?_

Ness had never been particularly close with the Dalaamian prince. They acted friendly enough towards each other, but both of them were too polite to form a real friendship.

"Just a second," Ness replied, hesitantly walking up and opening the door. "It was locked."

Poo smiled as he strode in the room, carrying a platter full of cheese and crackers. Ness' stomach rumbled.

"Did Ninten send you here?" Ness asked.

"No," Poo replied, popping a cracker in his mouth and motioning for Ness to do the same. "I did talk with him, though. He seemed quite worried about you, so I decided to check on you for myself."

 _Ninten… was worried about me?_

Ness picked up a slice of cheese and a cracker. His hand shook as he brought the food up to his mouth.

"You need to eat regularly," Poo said. "Your body is so excited for food that it can hardly contain itself."

Something about Poo's empathetic yet steady tone calmed Ness. He put the cheese and crackers into his mouth, relishing in the creaminess of the cheese. He chewed, hearing the familiar munch of the cracker. The salt tasted surprisingly good. His body pushed him to eat _more._ Without really thinking, Ness took more food and put it in his mouth.

"Doesn't that feel better?" Poo asked. "Sometimes, we get irritable when we're tired or hungry. It's our body telling us that it needs something _now._ "

Ness nodded, feeling a little less guilty about his hurtful words towards Ninten.

"Did you paint that?" Poo asked, pointing at Ness' painting of Pokey's corpse. "It's beautiful."

"…Really?" Ness asked. "You don't think that painting is girly?"

Poo shook his head.

"That notion is western," he said. "Dalaam has always gone into the future kicking and screaming. When that empress tried to reform gender roles and get women to create art instead of men, Dalaam resisted."

"Wait," Ness said. "Painting is only girly because of some empress who probably lived centuries ago?"

"Correct," Poo answered. "Pretty much every custom has historical roots."

Ness sighed in relief. That knowledge lifted a boulder off of his chest. Painting wasn't _really_ girly; it was only perceived that way!

"Is there anything you want to talk to me about?" Poo asked.

"I… guess," Ness replied. "I feel really guilty about what I said to Ninten."

"Yeah," Poo replied. "Ninten is pretty sensitive."

"Really?" Ness asked. "He never seemed that way to me."

"Ah," Poo said. "You confuse sensitivity with ease of offense. Ninten wears armor to block out hurtful words. But once you hit his weak spot, intentionally or not, it really hurts him. I'm the same way."

"…Oh," Ness said, feeling guilty. "I did really hurt him, huh?"

"I think that he's used to pain," Poo replied. "I just need to convince him that he's not a bad person. It's really tricky because he doesn't wallow in self-pity at all. He just truly believes that he's a bad person. Maybe Ana can help me talk to him. At least he won't let his lack of self-esteem hold him back. He's the type that's kind of okay with being a bad person."

A chill ran down Ness' spine.

"That's dangerous," he said. "Couldn't that lead him to do bad things?"

"I don't know," Poo replied. "Ninten is quite… strange. Most evil people don't see themselves as evil, after all. Ninten's the only person I know who sees himself as a bad person and doesn't really get emotional about it."

"He seemed emotional when I attacked him," Ness whispered.

"And he recovered by the time that I talked to him," Poo replied without missing a beat. "What does that say about how quickly he learns to deal with his problems?"

"So do you think that he'll be all right?" Ness asked.

"Yes," Poo replied with a smile. "I honestly do."

Ness released a sigh of relief.

"Is there anything else that you want to talk to me about?" Poo asked, popping another cracker into his mouth.

Ness followed Poo's example, trying not to eat too quickly lest he stuff his cheeks like a squirrel.

"I don't want to say this, but…" Ness took a deep breath. "I'm afraid."

Poo smiled.

"I get it," he said. "Your world is shaken. How could it not be? I think I have something that could help."

"Really?" Ness asked, hope puddling up in his heart. He would do almost _anything_ to banish the fear.

"In Dalaam, we meditate to deal with stress," Poo said. "It relaxes the body. I assume that it works for fear as well."

"Okay!" Ness exclaimed. "I'll try it!"

 _I'll try anything,_ he thought. _Anything…_

* * *

"And that's it," Poo finished. "You can open your eyes now."

Ness complied. The world around him seemed smaller and less menacing. Where fear used to reside in Ness' heart, he found… nothing. It felt like a cool blast of water washing over him after a day in the desert.

"That… totally made me feel better!" Ness said. "Just like magic! I didn't know that it was possible to feel so little stress. I think that I might be able to fall asleep now. The fear may come back, but I think that I can take it."

Poo smiled.

"I'm glad," he said. "Now, do you require anything else?"

 _How could I even say yes?_ Ness thought. _He already did so much for me._

"No," Ness replied. "I'm fine now. How are you so good at making people feel comfortable?"

"When your father has a quick temper, you have to learn some techniques to calm people down," Poo said with a shrug.

 _Is that it?_ Ness asked. _Practice and nothing else?_

"I can't say thank you enough," Ness said, feeling his heart warm up. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Ness closed his eyes in pain. He remembered days of staring mindlessly at the television, trying to find _something_ in the screen. That would happen again if he couldn't deal with his emotions.

"You're welcome," Poo replied. "It feels good to help someone for once in my life. Try to get some rest, all right?"

"Of course," Ness said. "I wouldn't put your gift to waste!"

Poo chuckled.

"Knowledge really is the greatest gift of all," he said. "Sweet dreams, Ness."

Poo shut off the lights as he walked out the door. Ness flopped on his bed, not even bothering to change into his pajamas. Within a minute, he fell asleep and began snoring comfortably.


	24. Chapter 18: Tabula Rasa?

**Hey, everyone! :) Here I am with the second chapter of part 2, where the other half of the cast gets addressed (except for Tony... he's not even mentioned haha).**

 **So, I've been watching lectures on youtube of my favorite author teaching a class and I discovered that this story falls in the category of Young Adult Epic Fantasy. I also found out that I'm still a child by book marketing terms and that I'm still supposed to be reading Young Adult novels. Ha... no. ._. I mean, no offense to people who do read those types of books, but I've read enough of them in middle school to get the general idea of what they're like.**

 **I also learned that fantasy stories like mine have a really high learning curve that turns people off, meaning that you guys have to absorb a lot of info in a short amount of time since the story isn't set on Earth. So, congrats if you've made it this far! You guys are on the "hard mode" of reading. :P**

 **I also decided to cut back on some of the floweryness. Because honestly, it's fanfiction. My writing is still pretty flowery in general, so idk how it will go.**

 **Now, I might not be able to update soon after this because I got a lot of things going on next week. Between college apps, physics test and lab report(shudder), reading** **Heart of Darkness** **(double shudder), a big midterm, I dunno if I'll have time to update this story. We'll see.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Guest:** **Thanks! :) Yep, my goal is for everyone to find someone in this (probably too big) cast relatable. And you totally don't have to if you don't want to, but you're always free to voice predictions in your reviews. :)**

 **adricarra:** **Sadly, Mr. Agerate might have to take to the background for a while. I just have so much to cover! DX Yep, it's important to respect everyone's beliefs. :) It's good that you can understand Megan. And yeah, Ness can only go 24 hours in a row because he's scared of stopping. If I felt that shadows and fears would harass me whenever I stopped writing, I could keep up for much longer than I do now.**

 **Ah, I'm actually super glad that you're in the middle. I wanted both of their views to seem reasonable, but I get the feeling that most people would take Ness' side (minus the emotional overreaction). :) And it's cool that you have a friend like Ninten! I base Ninten mostly off of feelings that I have; I don't actually know anyone like him.**

 **PSIBoy:** **I know, right? :P Mysteries are both a blessing and a curse.**

 **Yes! I was kinda worried that nobody would understand Ninten since I feel like most people would get totally pissed at me if I acted like that when someone else died. :) I'm glad that you can understand both people's perspectives. As a writer, I love to create arguments like that with no definitive answer. And Ninten's integrity is pretty strange. Remember when he lied to Ness about Dynaldas? He has no problems with that, but he acts open and honest in other ways. And yeah, I would say that Ninten's a better person than I am, hands down.**

 **I think the problem with the first part was that I tried to make it super subtle and it didn't quite work. I tried to make it interesting in certain ways (such as Minerva's stark contrast with her past self in the Diana interlude), but it was lost somewhere down the line. Dunno where that happened. But yeah, I should definitely add more exciting stuff to those scenes. Forming an atmosphere is so haaard. D:**

 **A Fan:** **It's not that I thought that the chapter was bad; I could have just made it better. A lot of my editing is stuff like "Oh, it would be cool if I could connect this to this," or "This improved description conveys the physical characteristics and emotion of a character/object." I didn't get any of that this chapter. Like I said, though, it wasn't super crappy from the start, unlike this one.**

 **As for Ninten... I'm not going to say. :) I don't think that there even is just one right answer to why he reacted that way. But I will say that part of the reason is that Ness is the one saying that to him. If Aloysius Minch told Ninten that then he probably wouldn't care.**

 **Ah, but most teens are really emo kids on the inside (myself included haha). The only difference is how well we hide it. :)**

 **OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Well, we get more of Kuma this chapter! :) And pretty much anyone could have stuck the device into the gate... so far as you know. :P And the Agerate mystery continues! Unfortunately, we won't be seeing much of him for a while (so much stuff to cover). Ah, glad that you can partially agree with Ninten. I was worried that everyone would side with Ness and think that Ninten's a huge jerk (because there is this cultural thing in America where we aren't supposed to speak ill of the deceased... but you know Ninten; he doesn't care :P). **

**Spoiler alert: Ana's fine. :) Yep, everyone has different things that set them off. Ninten doesn't care about what many people think about him, but he does care about Ness' opinion of him. Ah, I said that it was bad because my editing sucked. I could have added more cool stuff if my brain had been working well.**

 **Yup, teens are in that age range where we're _supposed_ to form our own beliefs. Everyone says that teens are rebellious and all, but we're really just trying new things (although I'm not really rebellious haha). Unfortunately, doing new things doesn't always yield positive results. :( Yeah, you got the idea of the cowl thing. :) I have no idea what the Juno filter on instagram is. xD I'm scared of some bugs (spiders terrify me DX), but luckily I don't get too many of them where I live. **

**Yeah, I wouldn't want to take A Harmless Game off of FF; it feels like I kinda have an obligation to keep it up since you guys were supporting me all of the way. After this, I would approximate 10-12 more chapters, but that could easily change. :) And every scene in a book is supposed to be important in one way or another. And mystery books are just called "mysteries" or "mystery novels." ;) On a side note, in one of the writing lectures I was listening to, my favorite author said that the reason books like those in the Warriors series are so short is because they're aimed at a younger audience that may be daunted by longer books. I thought that was kinda interesting. See you later! :)**

* * *

 _My life changed when I met a blond-haired boy named Lucas. He's strange. He doesn't like playing outside or searching for bugs. He doesn't even like going to the beach! What kind of person is he?_

 _I try to act friendly with him, but he doesn't seem to care about anything that I have to say. He doesn't seem to care about anything that he has to say. I just don't understand what goes on in his head._

 _I asked the magypsies about him, and they told me that he's normal._

 _But what does that make me? Maybe I'm the weird one. That makes me scared. Is my enthusiasm a deformity?_

* * *

Claus hated sunshine.

He hated waking up to the blistering light. Even through the curtains, light shone through and bombarded his eyelids. _Get up off of your ass and do something,_ it seemed to say.

Like _hell_ he would.

Claus chuckled, but he found no humor in the motion. It always seemed like the world was pushing him to finish what he started. Claus wanted to go back to sleep. No, sleep wasn't enough. Claus wanted to die.

 _You made a promise,_ he reminded himself.

Claus sighed, feeling weariness push down on every part of his body, inside and out. Every breath brought pain. Every day brought suffering. Why bother living?

 _You made a promise._

"Damn it," Claus muttered. "And damn me for always keeping my promises."

But could he keep this one? It had been nearly a year, and Claus still hadn't completed his quest. Maybe he should give up…

 _No,_ Claus told himself. _You can die later. One last mission before you kiss this world goodbye, just like you did with Aphrodite…_

Memories jumbled around in Claus head like cracked dice. The sad ones hurt, but the happy ones hurt more. The good memories reminded Claus of just how much he had lost. Back then, life hadn't been a chore. He had _wanted_ to play and explore. Now, Claus couldn't imagine his life without this ritualistic argument with his mind about whether or not he should live another day.

 _I guess I'm just weird,_ Claus thought in resignation. _Most people don't have to convince themselves to postpone death each day._

But why didn't they? Did other people _like_ living? If they did, Claus didn't pretend to understand why. Tragedies would sweep in and turn lives around, blowing away good memories and leaving only a thread of memories behind. It happened to everyone, regardless of personality or natural ability. Nobody could do a damn thing about it.

 _They don't get it,_ Claus thought. _Our lives are like candles. We are given the choice between having our light snuffed out early and slowly melting away as we age. And usually, we don't even get to make that choice ourselves._

Claus shrugged. Nobody seemed to understand. It always surprised him how many people _didn't_ think about their impending death every day of their lives. Hell, even Claus hadn't started thinking about that until everything that he loved had been crushed right in front of his horrified eyes.

He shuddered, bringing hand under his shirt and touching the scar on his chest.

 _So close…_ he thought. _A couple of inches to the right and I would have died._

The longing in his heart didn't even disturb him anymore. He wanted to die. Why bother denying it? Why bother trying to change? Life's problems wouldn't go away if he pretended that they weren't there.

 _There is another option,_ Claus told himself. _You could forget everything you know, just like Kumatora._

Claus paused to think. Had Kumatora wiped her own memory? It seemed plausible that a spaceship crash could give her amnesia, but Claus could easily see her blocking out her painful past on purpose. Psionics-users could hypnotize themselves into forgetting or remembering specific scenes or memories. And honestly, if she had erased her own memories, Claus didn't blame her one damn bit.

But he hardly considered taking that course of action for himself. Claus would _not_ return to a fairy tale of lies. He grimaced as he thought of how _unaware_ he had been while living on Aphrodite. Even after mother's death, he hadn't seen the universe for what he was. Oh, he had learned about death's nasty secrets.

But even witnessing death didn't compare to the utter desolation that Claus had faced afterwards.

 _Focus,_ Claus told himself. _I have to force myself out of this psyching bed._

His body started fighting against itself. On the one hand, he _had_ to complete his quest. He wouldn't accept failure. End of story. On the other hand, he wanted _so badly_ to die. It wouldn't be _that_ bad to give up just one in his life, right?

Claus shook his head. What he wanted didn't matter. He needed to push through.

 _I have to apologize to Ana,_ he remembered.

Claus' shoulders slouched. He didn't want to face her, not after _that._ Funny. This feeling… it almost felt like guilt. But Claus knew that he didn't have enough room inside of his body for guilt. Anger and loathing took up all of the room in his heart.

 _Enough of this,_ Claus thought. _Get up!_

Nothing happened.

He sighed. Moving this body was like having two people driving a carriage at once. Even when it did work, it was sloppy. His mind was fighting with itself, and Claus knew that it wouldn't ever stop. But he would live. He had survived a year with a body that he could hardly control; he could last for a few more months.

But what would happen after that?

 _Focus,_ Claus told himself. _I can't give up now. It's time to pull out my trump card._

He forced himself to think about Minerva Carpainter. Immediately, his mind was consumed by anger. He fantasized about holding a knife up to her throat and cutting it open. The red smile from the slash would make up for the malice in her actual smiles. The warm blood that would trickle down her throat would make up for her icy personality. In a way, he would be improving her.

 _Isn't it a little silly that I have to think about murdering someone to get out of bed every morning?_ Claus asked himself.

But it wasn't. As much as he hated to admit it, the prospect of making Minerva Carpainter suffer was half of the reason that he hadn't killed himself yet.

Claus' hatred unified his body. He could psyching _move_ it now. Gingerly, Claus stepped out of his bed and went to get dressed. The hardest part of the day was over.

 _It's a little bit harder to force myself out of bed each day,_ Claus thought. _What will happen to me in a month? A year? Will I give up before I complete my mission?_

Claus couldn't come up with an answer to that question. He washed his face and saw a vengeful ghost looking back at him in the mirror.

 _Maybe I'm already dead,_ Claus thought. _I've lost the will to do anything. Who's to say that this isn't the realm of the dead and none of us know it?_

Once, such thoughts would have scared Claus. But he was different now. He was harder and heavier. It took him a tremendous amount of effort to do anything, but no opponent could break him down.

 _Well, if that's what life has in store for me, there's nothing that I can do about it,_ Claus thought. _All that I can do is put on a mask and pretend to be someone who isn't quite as broken._

* * *

"Ana!" Jeff exclaimed, walking up to her bed in the school hospital. "Are you okay?"

Ana sat up straight, favoring him with a warm smile.

"I'm fine," she said. "Sorry about that scare that I put you through."

"I was worried," Jeff whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear his declaration of weakness. "You were out for a while."

"That's what happens when you overchannel," Ana said with a sigh. "I ran out of usable energy in the psionic realm, so my body tried to use the brain's _physical_ energy. As I'm sure that you know, psionics doesn't really work that way. I ended up shutting off my brain for a while. Again, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," came a gruff voice from behind Jeff.

He turned around to spot Claus walking up to Ana, looking as imposing as ever. He still wore an eyepatch and a breastplate, as if something were going to attack him _now._ Jeff couldn't help but take a step away from Claus' lumbering body. His heart rate quickened. Jeff told himself that he was being silly. He had no reason to fear Claus… right?

"I really am sorry, Ana," Claus said. "I didn't mean to make you go too far…"

"You didn't _make_ me do anything," Ana replied. "You said some rude things, but I ultimately made the decision to overchannel. As you could probably tell, I felt pretty spiteful. I get touchy whenever someone presumes that I've had an easy life just because my parents are rich. I wanted to inflict pain by proving you wrong, Claus. For that, _I'm_ sorry."

Jeff blinked. Why was Ana apologizing? She hadn't done anything wrong! He turned to look at Claus, who also seemed surprised.

"Wait a second," Claus said, pointing a finger at her. "This is _my_ fault. I let my prejudice get in the way. I hurt you. You didn't do anything wrong."

Ana sighed.

"You know, Claus," she said. "I can make decisions for myself. Don't you think I know that I can shrug off your accusations if I want to? When you presumed that I had never known hard work, I could have respectfully disagreed. I could have even pushed you away. But I chose to spite you. That makes it _my_ fault."

 _That wasn't how I saw the situation at all, but okay,_ Jeff thought, not wanting to mess with two psions.

"That's a little silly," Claus said. "Are you saying that I did nothing wrong?"

"No," Ana replied with a knowing smile. "I'm saying that you were wrong to accuse me without basis, but that I was _also_ wrong to lash back at you in my anger."

Claus furrowed his eyebrows.

"I've… never looked at it that way before," he said. More softly, "Maybe I needed to hear that earlier. I tend to beat myself up for mistakes like that."

An awkward silence followed.

"So Ana," Jeff said, curiosity pushing him to break the quiet. "Is everything back to normal with your brain?"

"Honestly, no," Ana replied. "You know how you sprain your ankle and it hurts when you put pressure on it? This is the same, but with my brain. Whenever I think about something too hard, my mind flashes with pain."

"That sounds pretty rough," Jeff said.

"Really?" Ana asked. "Because it's not much different from normal. I guess for it would seem significant for you since you have to think so hard about your math. 'Related rates' are two words that can make anyone shudder. If I had to solve some of those problems… let's just say that my view of this injury would be quite different."

Claus blinked.

"What?" he asked.

"Math joke," Ana replied. "We're both kind of nerds."

 _Ana knows calculus?_ Jeff thought. _Or maybe she just knows about it. She does come from an important family. They probably exposed her to a little math._

It irked him that Ana knew so much about psionics _and_ math, but Jeff reminded himself that it wasn't a competition.

"Yeah," he said. "Nerds rule the universe!"

"Precisely," Ana said with a smile. "But I want to go back to the point where Claus said that he beats himself up for hurting others."

Claus raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you care?" he asked bluntly.

"It's not against the law to care about other people," Jeff cut in.

"I didn't imply that it was," Claus said, not missing a beat. To Ana, "I just don't understand why you _would_ care."

"I'm interested in psychology," Ana replied carefully. "The way that your brain ticks fascinates me. I want to learn how those unhealthy thoughts end up in your head."

Claus didn't respond. Right as Jeff started wondering if he had heard Ana's reply, Claus spoke up:

"You're the only person who's ever wondered why I think the way that I do. I don't know how to feel about that. A cause of beating myself up… well, everyone else used to scold me for not being as psyching _perfect_ as my brother. That could be it."

"You have a brother?" Jeff asked. For some reason, that information surprised him. He had always pictured Claus as being… perpetually alone.

"In a way," Claus replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Jeff asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's complicated," Claus said with a scowl, "And I don't feel like explaining it right now."

"You should probably let Claus tell us when he wants to," Ana told Jeff. "Something tells me that you shouldn't push his buttons."

Jeff only had to look at Claus' disgruntled face to see what she meant. He felt more than happy to back away from that topic.

"Now, I think that you were conditioned to feel like you weren't good enough because of what everyone said about you," Ana told Claus, "Which resulted in you beating yourself up. It doesn't mean that you're trapped that way, but I do think that your experiences shaped you in that way."

"…It's weird to think that there's a _reason_ for my negative tendencies," Claus said.

"Sometimes, we don't put enough emphasis on thoughts," Ana said. "The way that the mind works determines _everything_ about us _,_ even psionics. Did you know that you can predict a psion's strongest discipline by analyzing their thought processes? Ninten likes to create things, so his strongest discipline is metacreativity. Ness likes to fix people, so his strongest discipline is psychometabolism. My dad is obsessed with the way that people interact, so he has access to potent telepathy powers that allow him to tap into that knowledge."

"So what does it say about you that your strongest discipline is psychokinetics?" Claus asked.

"I like to destroy things," Ana said with a smile. "I don't really like that part of myself, but it's definitely there."

A chill ran down Jeff's spine.

"I never would have guessed…" he said.

"I guess I do a pretty good job of hiding it, then," Ana said. "I used to throw temper tantrums all of the time. You can ask my parents about it, if you ever see them again."

 _Huh,_ Jeff thought. _I assumed that Ana was born perfect, but she really had to work to overcome her destructive tendencies. I guess that there's a lesson in that._

"Can someone's strongest discipline change?" Jeff asked. "If someone had a change of heart and wanted to heal rather than destroy…"

"Would they switch their primary discipline to psychometabolism?" Ana finished. "Yeah, I think so. It's not common, but it happens. It usually takes a drastic change in mindset to create an effect, though. So you probably won't see me switching over anytime soon."

"He was probably thinking about Diana," Claus said. "She healed Kumatora from near death to full health in seconds. She must want to fix society badly if she switched over to psychometabolism as her strongest discipline."

"I guess it happens when you wake up and realize that the world wasn't what you thought it was," Jeff said. "Diana really wants to make the world a better place."

"Can we really say that?" Ana asked. "I mean, we barely met her. _I_ didn't meet her at all. Sure, she may want to heal and rebuild, but that means different things for everyone. People are rarely who they appear to be. I can't imagine that she's gotten over her experiences as a zealot. Who knows how scarred she is?"

"Her life wasn't so bad," Claus said. "In the end, she always had hope. She kept pushing forward, and now she can perform miracle feats of healing. That's a better ending than most people find on Vulcan."

 _Sadly, that's actually true,_ Jeff thought.

"Speaking of miracle feats of healing," Jeff said, trying to change the subject. "How is Kumatora? I know that the nurse is making her stay in the hospital…"

"She's in that room over there," Ana said, pointing to a grey door. "If I hadn't seen her before Diana healed her, I wouldn't have believed that she had received worse than a scratch."

"Is it really that hard to heal someone?" Jeff asked.

"Well, not necessarily, but a psion usually leaves signs when they heal," Ana replied. "Healed people tend to be unnaturally thin. You know, because the body has to replace the missing cells with existing ones."

"I guess that makes sense," Jeff said. "Does Kumatora remember anything about who she is?"

"No," Ana replied. "Maybe you can trigger something, or maybe Claus can. She seems to know him."

"Not well," Claus said with a snort. "We met in passing a couple of times."

"Still," Jeff said. "You might trigger her memory."

"You probably wouldn't want that to happen," Claus replied with a cold smile.

"How do you know?" Jeff asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "You stated earlier that you had only met her in passing."

"I don't think that I'm obliged to answer that," Claus said, turning away. "Thanks, Ana. That actually helped. See you around, Jeff."

Claus strode out of the school hospital, his confident posture brooking no argument.

 _What a jerk,_ Jeff thought. _He could help Kumatora remember, but he chooses not to? I hope that I never end up like him._

"This is what happens when someone can't see the world outside of their own," Ana said, looking forlorn as her eyes wandered around the colorful room. "Claus is convinced that his view is the only _right_ one. If he thinks that Kumatora's better off not knowing, then she _has_ to be. End of discussion."

"…You analyze people a lot, don't you?" Jeff asked.

"And you analyze psychotechnology often," Ana replied with a smile. "It's what we do. We look deeper into the subjects that we truly care about."

 _I suppose that's fair,_ Jeff thought.

"I'm going to talk to Kumatora, all right?" he asked.

"You don't need my confirmation," Ana replied. "Have fun! I know how good it can feel to help someone else, so I hope that you can figure something out about her past."

"Thanks," Jeff said.

He walked into the room that Ana had pointed to. He spotted Kumatora sitting on one of the feather beds, talking with Paula. As usual, Kumatora acted confident and outspoken while Paula looked like she was trying to hide from the world.

"Yeah, I'm actually perfectly fine," Kumatora said cheerily. "The healing process went smoothly. I hardly even remember being knocked out…" she scratched her head. "I guess that's because I have amnesia, huh?"

"Err… that's good," Paula said hesitantly.

Jeff walked up, nodding hello to Kumatora. Paula turned to look at him, resulting in both of them staring at each other awkwardly. Jeff hadn't interacted much with Paula and didn't know what to say now.

"Hi," Jeff said uncomfortably.

"You two look like jilted lovers!" Kumatora exclaimed with a grin. "Is there some resentment between you two?"

"No," Paula replied. "I'm just an awkward person. Sorry, Jeff."

"No!" Jeff exclaimed quickly. "I'm the awkward one!"

"You two really _do_ seem like lovers," Kumatora said, seeming amused.

Jeff shuffled his feet.

"But hey," Kumatora continued. "Maybe you two should talk about stuff. Get more comfortable with each other. You know, all that crap about forming a tight community or whatever?"

"How did you know that this school emphasized that?" Jeff asked.

"You mean _besides_ all of those cheesy signs?" Kumatora asked, pointing to multiple posters on the walls.

 _…Oh._

"It might be hard for us to talk with each other," Paula said. "I don't think that I could keep up. Jeff's a psionic engineer and I'm just… me."

"You're a psion!" Jeff exclaimed. "That counts for something, right?"

"I was randomly chosen to have powers," Paula said in a deflated voice. "It's not like I'm anyone special. I can only _do_ things."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Kumatora said. "Sometimes who we are is more important than what we do. Being a psion is still pretty special, though."

"Kumatora," Jeff said, a conversation idea popping into his head as he filtered out everything else. "Did you hear that one of the students here was murdered?"

Paula shied back, taking heavy breaths.

"I still can't believe it," she whispered. "It seems wrong that someone just… died. It could have been you or me."

 _It could have easily been me,_ Jeff thought. _I threw myself into danger more than once during the starman attack._

That thought made him uncomfortable. He had always just assumed that he would become a psionic engineer. The prospect that life could leave him with _nothing_ made him feel so fragile.

"Wow," Kumatora said, gritting her teeth. "That's rough. Who was the person?"

"Pokey Minch," Paula whispered. "He acted kind of mean, but he didn't deserve… _that._ Nobody does."

Jeff nodded along solemnly.

"So the starmen got him?" Kumatora asked.

"No," Jeff said. Paula perked up. "Starmen use psionics to kill. Only a human would have inserted a knife into another human."

"So," Kumatora said. "Someone in this school is a murderer?"

And awkward silence hung in the air.

"I take that as a yes," Kumatora muttered. "What the hell did I sign myself up for?"

 _"Hell?"_ Jeff thought. _What kind of curse is that?_

"…Maybe we should focus on how to get your memory back, Kumatora," Paula offered.

"Sure!" Kumatora said, her sunny attitude returning in an instant. "I mean, nobody wants to focus on a murder, right?"

 _Not liking it doesn't make it go away,_ Jeff thought but said nothing.

"You were found in that spaceship, right?" Paula asked. "Meaning that you came from somewhere other than Ceres."

"And somehow passed through the barrier," Jeff added.

"…Yeah, that sounds about right," Kumatora said. "I have no idea how I passed through the solid dome right above our psyching heads, but I can't imagine that I came from Ceres."

"Your hair color…" Paula said. "It's not natural, is it?"

"This pink?" Kumatora asked. "Considering that I haven't put anything in it and I was knocked out for months, I would say that it is."

Paula's face paled. Jeff could empathize; Kumatora's hair freaked him out a little as well.

"I… see," Paula said shakily.

"What?" Kumatora asked. "Why are you so nervous?"

"Nothing!" Paula exclaimed. "I just… get nervous."

"She does," Jeff concurred. "It's probably not a big deal. Maybe she just needs some time to herself."

Paula shot him a thankful glance.

"I guess," Kumatora said, not seeming convinced. "Where do you two think that I came from?"

"Earth," Jeff replied. "It has to be. You can only activate psionic powers on Earth. But…"

"But what?" Kumatora asked.

"Ms. Aniah said that your spaceship looked like it came from Aphrodite," Jeff answered awkwardly.

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter," Jeff replied. "You might have come from Aphrodite."

"Do you think that could really be true?" Paula asked in wonder.

"Why?" Kumatora asked. "Is it rare to come from Aphrodite?"

Jeff and Paula looked at each other awkwardly. Neither of them wanted to answer.

"I… guess it is," Paula finally whispered.

"You guess?" Kumatora asked.

"Yeah," Jeff answered. "It _is_ rare to find someone from Aphrodite here on Ceres."

"You two seem like you're hiding something from me," Kumatora said, her eyes narrowing.

"Nope!" Jeff exclaimed. "Nothing!"

 _That just made me seem more suspicious, didn't it?_ he thought.

"…Whatever," Kumatora muttered. "I can always ask someone else."

 _Good luck getting an answer,_ Jeff thought. _It's illegal to even talk about Aphrodite anymore._

"Do you think that you could jog your memory if you visited your spaceship?" Paula asked.

"Hopefully!" Kumatora exclaimed, once again returning to upbeat faster than Jeff could believe. "I'm planning on it once those nurses release me from this prison."

"A hospital is hardly a prison," Jeff said.

"I was kind of kidding," Kumatora replied with a grin. "But only kind of. They won't let me exercise or anything. I'm not even hurt! They try to stuff my face with food like I'm a pig about to be slaughtered."

"Ana said something about healing making you thin," Jeff said, "Because your body takes cells from every possible source to heal you."

"So was I fat before?" Kumatora asked. "Because my waistline seems pretty standard to me."

"Not that I could tell," Jeff admitted. "Diana's healing did wonders for you. Maybe she found some way to prevent that side effect."

"Wait," Paula whispered. "You don't mean Diana _Carpainter,_ do you?"

"Yeah," Jeff admitted.

Paula balled her hands into fists, her eyes blazing with uncharacteristic rage. Jeff took a step back. This was the first time that he had seen her this angry.

"That _pathetic_ excuse for a human being killed hundreds of people in the name of false religion!" Paula exclaimed. "She lured in the innocent with her satanic cult!"

Jeff didn't know what "satanic" meant, but he couldn't help but feel skeptical.

"I think that her father was the mastermind behind it," Jeff said. "Diana was just another pawn."

"And does that make what she did _right?_ " Paula demanded.

"No, but-"

"No buts!" Paula shouted. "That woman is a _monster!_ I can't believe that you're backing her up!"

 _Why do you care so much?_ Jeff wanted to ask.

"People change," Kumatora whispered. "I don't know anything about this 'Diana,' but isn't it possible that-"

"NO!" Paula shouted. "She… she…"

"Did she do something to you personally?" Jeff asked.

Paula gritted her teeth.

"No," she answered, "But that doesn't make my words any less true."

"Uh…" Jeff didn't agree with Paula, but he didn't know what to say that wouldn't offend her.

"Diana Carpainter worshiped a false god and killed hundreds of people," Paula said flatly. "She doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt."

"If she hadn't been on Ceres during the starman attack, I would have died," Kumatora chirped in, her voice dangerously sweet. "So I hope you excuse me if I disagree with you on this one."

Paula took a step back.

"I didn't mean to imply that your life isn't worth anything," she said, returning to her meek self. "It's just that Diana is so _evil._ "

"And there's no way to redeem yourself if you make mistakes, huh?" Jeff asked quietly.

"I didn't say that," Paula hissed. "But worshipping a false god is _inexcusable._ "

"So much for religion being about forgiveness, huh?" Kumatora asked, her bright tone seeming out of place.

"Some things just can't be forgiven!" Paula yelled, shrinking back like a caged animal.

"Well, if you can't forgive, then you're really only hurting yourself," Kumatora replied with a shrug. "Hey, Jeff, do you want to check back in on Ana? I sense that another psion is talking to her."

Jeff shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. Kumatora's casual tone seemed to irritate Paula.

" _You_ don't understand!" Paula shouted, pointing a finger at Kumatora. "Don't you know what it means to worship a false god?"

"Yeah," Kumatora replied. "It means to believe in an omnipotent being other than the one that you do. There are different religions, and this one admittedly sounds kind of nutty. But opposing your religion itself isn't a bad thing."

Paula's mouth tightened. She turned around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Jeff flinched. He desperately wanted to make the situation better, but he didn't know where he could possibly start.

"That's what happens when you cling onto an ideal with all of your might," Kumatora said with a shrug. "Once someone starts to infiltrate it, you start to feel like they're attacking your identity. Shall we check on Ana?"

"Uh… sure?" Jeff replied, still not sure how to feel.

He followed Kumatora as she walked into Ana's room. Upon entering, Jeff immediately forgot about all of his problems with Paula. Ninten lay slumped over on Ana's bed, likely in another one of his hypnotized states. Ana stood next to her bed, looking at Ninten in concern. She turned around to face Kumatora and Jeff.

"Hey," she said with a weak smile. "Ninten's in another one of his episodes. I wonder what triggered this one…"

Ninten stood up, holding onto the bed with all of his might. He looked at Ana with empty eyes.

"Ann," he whispered deliriously. "You will know true pain. You will know pain beyond what you thought was possible. I'm sorry, Ann."

"He said that exact same thing to me last time," Ana said with a frown. "Word for word. I'm sure of it."

"New kid," Ninten whispered, cocking his head. "Kumatora, is it?"

"How does he know my name?" Kumatora asked, although she seemed inquisitive rather than horrified.

"Kumatora," Ninten said. "You will know how it feels to be betrayed."

"Well, that's pleasant," Kumatora muttered.

"Ninten's a mystic," Ana explained. "He can predict the future."

"…You don't see many of those anymore," Kumatora said, her face unreadable.

Ninten looked upwards towards the ceiling.

"The starman attack two days ago will not be the last. Ceres will be dashed with the blood of secrets." He chuckled creepily, his trance only adding to the effect.

Jeff looked back and forth between Ana and Kumatora. Neither of them seemed to know what to say. He remembered Kumatora's words just minutes earlier: _What the hell did I sign myself up for?_

In that moment, Jeff understood _exactly_ what she meant.


	25. Chapter 19: Lucas

**Hey, everyone! :D Man, I'm really tired today. How about you guys?**

 **So, the second part of this chapter is one of those sections that I wouldn't even hesitate to cut out if I wanted to sell this story. Alas, I can't make money off of this, so... yeah, you're stuck with parts that don't have a whole lot to do with the plot. ;) Maybe that's why this story is almost as long as City of Progress and nothing's happened.**

 **Also, I discuss the whole police thing BECAUSE IT'S FANFICTION AND I CAN, DARN IT! I hope you already know this about me, but I'm not trying to offend anyone with my views. If you don't agree with me, that's fine. And remember that Ninten tends to go overboard.** **His views are not mine.** **We cool? :)**

 **Another thing: In this fanfic, Teddy is Ninten's dad. I know that this isn't the case in the game, but this is an AU. Weirder things happen. Please don't complain about how it doesn't match the games because this entire _story_ is nothing like the Mother series. That being said, feel free to complain if you have a legit reason (although since I don't introduce Teddy this chapter, I don't know what there is to complain about). Thanks! :)**

 **Also, midterms suck. Not looking forward to that part of college. D:**

 **Review Responses:**

 **A Fan:** **Yeah... it might be best to remain silent on that one. xD This is certainly the** ** _slow_** **mode of reading, though... epic fantasy does that. There are a lot of action fantasy books that move along pretty quickly, but this is most certainly not one of them. Apparently, readers hate it if you write people standing around and talking in action fantasy, so I guess that I'll never be able to write that style. D:**

 **Well, Jeff's ending isn't really a cliffhanger since not much follows afterwards... it's more of an omenhanger. :P Yup, Paula's pretty wrong in this aspect. But people usually act that way because they're taught to... Well, everyone hates Diana because she was one of the most notorious criminals in the common era (imagine if Osama Bin Laden were still alive and he tried to make up for his mistakes... many people would still want him captured or dead). As for Minerva... we'll see how that plays out. :)**

 **Heh, It stands for "insert line here." I use it to mark my line breaks on this site, since they don't transfer from Word to FF... yeah, I forgot to change it. D: I'm surprised that it's taken me this long to mess up, honestly. xD And Claus** ** _really_** **hates Minerva. I mean, there are people who only keep living in this world because of spite. Claus isn't really different from them. :(**

 **adricarra:** **Yeah, the mind to discipline thing was something that I kinda made up on the spot. I don't know what my discipline would be... my guess is that it would be metacreativity or telepathy, because I like creative stuff (like this!) and I also like analyzing thoughts and the mind as a whole. I'm with you on the ultra-religious thing. Religion is fine, but some people simply take it too far. Well, the bad prediction thing is a plot device. Good things happening to characters are inherently less interesting than bad things happening to characters. Maybe one of the predictions will be good... I'll see where it goes. Thanks! :)**

 **Guest:** **Your prediction is right! ...I'm not really revealing anything big because it says that in this chapter, though. xD Thanks! :)**

 **PSIboy:** **Yup, the Ana fainting thing wasn't really part of the plan, so I didn't have anything big planned for its aftermath. That would definitely be something that I would address if I were to go back and edit entire plot arcs... And your criticism gave me a small idea for something a few chapters down the road (and by a few, I mean like 5 haha). Thanks for the advice! :)**

 **Heh, I'll say right now that my Ninten doesn't have anything against lying. It's one of his quirks. He'll lie if he thinks that it won't hurt anyone. I'm kinda the same way, honestly. It's just that I don't get into many situations where I** ** _would_** **lie, so... yeah. :/ I'll try to respond to your PM soon! I'm not trying to ignore you! D:**

 **crabbyTomato:** **Yeah, I love love** ** _love_** **to talk about religion, so you'll see a lot of people with strong beliefs. Religion isn't as much of a thing in this world, so there are more atheists than irl (as opposed to City of Progress, where there are more religious people than irl). Still, I have to add in some religious people so that it doesn't seem like I'm anti-religion... you probably know how touchy people can get.**

 **Remember, religion isn't mainstream on Earth. Concepts like heaven or hell aren't common knowledge. For most people, "religion" is believing that the emperor is a god, which... really isn't a thing at the point when the story is set. xD That's why I have most people use "psych" instead of saying "damn" or "hell" and have people use "Divine rulers!" instead of "Jesus!" or "Oh my god!" (the last two aren't swears, but this is the equivalent of a renaissance era where it's seen that way). Most people just don't know curses that originated from religion. So yeah... a lot of thought goes into those details. xD It's what we fantasy writers love doing. :)**

 **Yup, I read a book in AP Lit called** **Crime and Punishment** **where there was a character that was kinda like Paula but portrayed in a more positive light. I guess I kinda based Paula off of her, subconsciously. And the event that Ninten is foreshadowing... won't happen soon. xD Sorry if you wanted it to!**

* * *

 _Something about Lucas bugs me._

 _I taught him the layout of Osohe Castle and how to forage in the surrounding forest. He follows me and absorbs everything that I say, but he doesn't seem to care._

 _I'm starting to think that there's something wrong with him. I can't force myself to address the other possibility… The chance that I'm the one with the problem._

 _After all, I've been out of touch with the rest of the universe. Heck, I've never really been in touch with the universe. Who knows if my views are normal?_

 _Maybe I'm insane and I just don't know it._

* * *

Ness appeared on the edge of a small town. He looked around, not recognizing the style of wooden houses or the surrounding trees.

 _Wait…_

Ness walked up to one of the trees, noting the strong scent of sap. The tree possessed two rings of branches, each ring consisting of eight branches. The lack of chaos in the tree's design made Ness feel uneasy, and he recognized it from his encounter with the faceless man in his dream.

 _A lotus tree. This has to be another dream._

A bird chirped. Ness looked up at the tree and was surprised to see a sparrow colored completely orange. How could that thing survive in the wild?

"You haven't been sleeping in a while," came a voice behind Ness.

Ness froze in surprise. After a second, he turned around and identified the person who had spoken: the faceless man. His body looked as inconsistent as ever, turning from robust to frail every other second.

"I… haven't," Ness admitted.

"Don't humans need sleep?" the faceless man asked.

The orange bird flew down and landed on the faceless man's shoulder, chirping vibrantly. The sparrow's voice contrasted with the man's lifeless tone.

"We do," Ness said. "I… was scared of dreaming."

"Ah," the faceless man said. "Because you can hide from your thoughts during the day, but you have nowhere to run while you lay immobilized on your bed."

 _How does he know that?_ Ness thought. _Doesn't he have no knowledge of how humans feel?_

"Yeah," Ness said. "When I dream, the pictures in my mind become _real._ I can't run from reality."

"That makes sense," the faceless man said. Cocking his head, "Huh, I understand your motives. Am I making progress towards becoming a human?"

The bird chirped encouragingly.

"I guess," Ness said.

"You seem hesitant with that answer."

Ness sighed.

"I'm just not used to telling other people what I think," he said. "Usually, it's the other way around."

 _Isn't that right, Tracy?_

"I also remembered my name, if that means anything to you," the faceless man said, either not recognizing or not caring about Ness' bitter tone. "It's Lucas."

 _Lucas…_ Ness thought, racking his brains. _Nope. Nothing._

"That's great!" Ness exclaimed, trying his best to put on a sunny face. "Maybe we can find out more about your past life if you keep thinking about it."

"I guess," Lucas said with a shrug. "I keep asking myself why I should care. Sometimes, I feel horrified at how different I am from you humans, but other times I couldn't care less. How does that work?"

Ness blinked.

"I know _exactly_ how that feels!" he exclaimed.

"Really?" Lucas asked. "I thought that you humans felt emotions for specific reasons. The fluctuation that I described seems out of place."

"I think that it's a result of our minds feeling overwhelmed," Ness said. "Some things are so _horrible_ that we simply can't comprehend them. Sometimes, we try to push ourselves to feel _more,_ knowing that we should feel bad. But other times… our mind protects us by blocking out all of the pain, leaving us unable to feel _anything_."

"So like mental endorphins, huh?" Lucas asked.

"…What?" Ness said.

"Ah, nothing," Lucas replied. "I was just wondering if there's a specific chemical that activates that process… or if it's even real on a psychological level. After all, the experiences of two people don't prove anything."

"Even so, we should still work on trying to feel," Ness said. "We need to become strong enough so that we can take those emotions and deal with them rather than blocking them out."

"But am I stronger without emotions?" Lucas asked. "I seem to recall that feelings make me weak."

"Of course not!" Ness exclaimed. "Emotions help us. Otherwise, they wouldn't exist."

"Your appendix exists," Lucas countered. "That doesn't help you."

"My what?"

Lucas sighed.

"I was just wondering if emotions are evolutionary baggage," he said. "Maybe they helped us in our primal form, but they only interfere with logic now."

"Lucas," Ness said, unable to stop himself from cringing. "Please don't say that."

"Hmm?" Lucas asked. "Why not?"

"Just… don't," Ness whispered. "Please. We need to get you to a state where you can feel emotions and deal with them in a healthy way."

"If you say so," Lucas said with a shrug. "After all, I called you here to help me. I'll try whatever you tell me to."

The bird on Lucas' shoulder chirped furiously. Ness couldn't tell for sure, but he thought that its shrill notes indicated panic.

"Starmen," Lucas said. "I can detect them closing in."

"Wait, _what?_ " Ness exclaimed. "Here?"

Lucas looked around at the village behind them.

"We are on the border of a town called Tazmily," he said. "Starmen attacked this place quite often in the physical realm. Now, my mind's depictions of them attack me in the psionic realm."

"How does that even work?" Ness asked.

"They represent a foreign invader in my mind," Lucas said. "They're slowly erasing my essence."

"A… foreign invader?" Ness squeaked. "Erasing your essence?"

 _What does that even mean?_

"Seems crazy, right?" Lucas asked. "But… _something_ wants to break me down. While I don't particularly care about my fate, I really don't have anything better to do than fight starmen."

After Lucas finished speaking, a starman teleported right behind him. In the blink of an eye, a translucent sword appeared in Lucas' hand. Unlike his actual body, it remained the same from second to second, letting of a dull, blue light that hummed like static. Lucas turned around and, in one clean motion, sliced the starman in two. Its guts spilled out both halves, the exotic yet putrid scent of the innards making Ness want to barf.

"I wonder why starmen can't psionic stall," Lucas said nonchalantly. "That would have let it live for a few more seconds. Maybe it could have healed itself."

"Well… the starmen here seem weaker than the ones in real life," Ness said.

"Huh," Lucas said. "I don't remember the starmen well, so I have nothing to compare these creatures to."

"Err… what happens if one of them kills me in this realm?" Ness asked.

"Let's not find out, all right?" Lucas answered.

 _That doesn't make me feel any better,_ Ness thought, adrenaline pumping his heart into overdrive.

The bird once again started chirping furiously.

"More starmen coming," Lucas said. "Can you fight, Ness?"

"Uh… I guess?" Ness answered. "I mean, I _can,_ but I really don't want to."

"Why not?"

Ness looked at Lucas' empty face. He wished that he could see _something_ in it.

"I'm scared of how easily I can end someone else's life," he whispered. "There was the time that I was blinded by rage. I killed hundreds of people and could hardly force myself to care. Sometimes, I feel horrified at what I had done, but even today…" Ness squeezed his eyes shut. "I can't always force myself to feel _anything_ about it. I don't trust myself to take another life."

"Well, these starmen aren't real, in the physical sense," Lucas said. "They're just ideas. Do you think that you could help take them down?"

"…Yes," Ness said weakly.

A dozen starmen appeared in a circle around Ness and Lucas.

"PK Rockin," Ness whispered, his body screaming for him to stop.

A wave of hexagons passed over half of the starmen, sending them reeling backwards.

"That move…" Lucas said. Ness heard Lucas slicing through multiple starmen. "So powerful…"

Ness blinked before realizing that his PK Rockin had disoriented the starmen, somehow. They teetered around, some of them nearly falling over. Lucas leapt in front of Ness like a tiger, lashing out with his sword. Each stroke took a starman's life.

After the last starman fell, Ness looked around. He recoiled at the sight of so many guts outside of their bodies. Lucas, however, didn't even seem to notice.

"That should be all of them," he said. "Easy, right?"

Ness nodded, feeling his heart calm down. When had it gone into overdrive in the first place?

"What did my PK Rockin do?" Ness asked.

"You mean that you have one of the greatest powers known to humankind, and you don't even know what it does?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Ness whispered. "I never had the heart to use it after I killed so many people."

"Normally, using that move messes with the psionic realm, which is how the starmen see and balance themselves. But we're already in the psionic realm… I guess maybe there's another psionic realm inside this one that your PSI affected?" Lucas offered. "I suppose that it doesn't matter. PK Rockin is a move of chaos. It disrupts and dismantles."

"I used it to give life, once," Ness whispered.

"Life is a chaotic process," Lucas said with a shrug. "But I don't think that you really gave them _life._ No psionics can do that."

"I swear," Ness said. "Those people were _alive,_ at least until someone else released the PSI that allowed them to move their muscles."

Lucas didn't say anything to that.

"Uh…" Ness said, feeling awkward. "Should we talk someplace else? I don't know about you, but the starmen corpses kind of bug me."

Lucas nodded. The scenery around them warped. Ness found himself standing deep inside a forest, lotus trees surrounding him. The air felt refreshingly crisp.

"This place means a lot to me," Lucas said softly. "I don't know why."

"There doesn't have to be a reason," Ness said. "That's part of what makes nostalgia what it is. We hang onto the past, even if it doesn't make sense."

"I suppose," Lucas said. "This nostalgia may save me yet. But I have a question for you, Ness. It's been bugging me for a while."

"Ask away," Ness said.

"Are you normal?" Lucas asked.

That question took Ness aback. He fumbled, trying to come up with an answer.

"No," he finally said. "I used to be normal, but I'm not anymore. I've been hurt too much."

"What hurt you?" Lucas asked curiously.

Ness took a step back, feeling protective of his pain.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"Because it seems like you _are_ normal," Lucas replied. "You wear scars, but you still act like most people. I want to know how much pain you took so that I can tell if there's still hope left for me."

Ness sighed. He had built walls around his memories so that nobody else could break in. He had encountered too many people who didn't take his struggles seriously to feel like he could be open.

 _This is for Lucas,_ Ness thought. _He needs to know._

Guilt pushed Ness forward. With Lucas' state, how could Ness even _think_ about holding his memories back? If Ness' experiences could help Lucas reclaim his humanity, Ness knew that he had to give in.

So Ness broke down the walls and told Lucas everything, from his disaster on Vulcan to the two years of limbo that followed. He went into detail about his every emotion. He described how he had seen knives around every corner once Diana started hunting him. He described how the clash between relief and fear made him want to explode upon seeing Diana at the hideout. He described how it felt to suffocate under corpses that had been human beings just seconds earlier. Lucas listened to each word. Even with his empty face, Ness could tell that he snatched every implication of Ness' story as if his words were candy. After what felt like hours of talking, Ness finished with his experiences on Ceres: how he had nearly been killed by Duster and his run-in with Alsom Garrickson.

Ness was surprised at how good it felt to let all of his memories out. He had stewed on some of them for two years, and he only now realized how heavy they were. After he finished, Ness felt ready to take on the world. He let fresh air in his lungs, letting it replace the toxic emotions in his heart.

"…I'm not alone," Lucas whispered, almost too softly to hear.

"What?" Ness asked, not sure if he had heard Lucas right.

"Your pain is immense," Lucas said, "So immense that it took you this long to describe it all. All of this time, I thought that I was the only one who truly _hurt…_ thank you for opening my eyes, Ness. I can save myself if I try hard enough. After all, you did."

Ness blushed.

"I wouldn't say that I saved myself," he said. "My mom and Ana helped me through most of it."

"But you're here to help me, right?" Lucas asked, his voice uncharacteristically hopeful.

Ness looked into Lucas' empty face. His body posture seemed _desperate_ in a way that Ness couldn't quite describe.

 _I'm his last hope,_ Ness realized. _Me. Why did it have to be me? Why not someone like Ana who could actually help?_

"Yeah," Ness said, trying to hide his uncertainty under a smile. "Of course I'm here."

"…your words made me feel something," Lucas said. "It's been a while since that's happened. Your body is telling you to wake up, so I should probably let you go. I think that I'm safe, now. See you, Ness."

"Goodbye," Ness said with a smile. "I look forward to when we can meet again."

"Goodbye," Lucas whispered.

Right before Ness left Lucas' world, he swore that he could see a real face on Lucas' head: a face with blond hair, cerulean eyes, and a shy smile that carried none of the pain that Lucas claimed to possess.

* * *

Ninten heard quiet sobbing as he walked through the hallways.

 _I know that this is probably none of my business, but I actually care when people suffer. Hm… What should I do?_

Ninten knew the answer. He would go with his heart every time. He turned a corner to spot Paula crying alone, her eyes bloodshot and her shoulders hunched. She stood up straight upon spotting Ninten.

"Err… sorry," Ninten said. "I didn't mean to…"

 _Except that I did mean to interrupt her,_ Ninten thought. _I hope that she doesn't hold this against me. I can always claim that I needed to go this way for something._

"Ninten," she said, looking surprisingly relieved. "Don't be sorry."

"Thanks," Ninten replied. "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

Paula blushed.

"No…" she said. "I'm sorry for concerning you. It's nothing, really."

"You do know that saying that your problems are nothing makes people _more_ curious, right?" Ninten asked with a smirk.

"I didn't really think about it," Paula said with a subtle smile.

 _At least she's not terrified,_ Ninten thought. _Usually, Ness is with me when I meet Paula. It's nice to see what lies under her fear for a change._

"Well, are you sure that you don't need anything?" Ninten asked. "Sometimes it can help to let your problems out. I honestly don't mind if you vent to me."

"I…" Paula's face tightened into a grimace.

"What?" Ninten asked. "Are you worried that an insufferable bastard like me wouldn't understand your problems?"

"No!" Paula exclaimed in horror. "Of course not!"

"I was kind of joking," Ninten said with a smirk. _But only kind of._ "Please don't feel like you have to talk to me about your problems for any reason, but I _am_ here if you need me."

Paula took a deep breath.

"It's about the new girl," she said.

"Kumatora?" Ninten asked.

Paula nodded.

"It feels like she's trying to push me away from your group of friends," she said. "I know that it's not a significant problem, but it still makes me angry. I try to banish the rage, but nothing seems to work."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with feeling mad," Ninten said. "Acting on it is what causes the real problems."

"Really?" Paula asked, her eyes widening. "You really think that it's okay to feel bad emotions?"

"Sure," Ninten said. "And it's okay to have dark thoughts. Everyone does."

"But," Paula protested, "Dark thoughts are bad. I need to purge my mind of evil."

Ninten sighed inwardly. One of the reasons that he didn't like most religions was that they promoted perfectionism.

"Wouldn't it be better to work out logically why you shouldn't act on your dark thoughts?" Ninten asked. "That way, you're ready with a retort if they ever decide to come back."

"…I've never thought about it that way," Paula said. "I still don't know if I agree, though. Sorry."

Paula grimaced.

"Why are you sorry?" Ninten asked. "You shouldn't apologize for what you believe."

"I just… didn't want you to take offense," Paula said.

"Well, I don't get offended easily," Ninten said. "So feel free to act blunt around me. Divine Rulers know that I have no filter over this mouth of mine; the least that I can do is accept other people's frankness."

"Thanks," Paula said with a reserved smile. "So you said that it's okay to… tell you about my problems, even if they're small. Right?"

"Sure," Ninten answered.

"I feel like Kumatora tried to hit me where it hurt," Paula said. "It's like she wants to drive me away."

"How so?" Ninten asked.

"She… sided with Diana Carpainter without really knowing the situation," Paula answered. "Even though Diana worshipped a false god."

 _Ah, psych,_ Ninten thought. _Religion. As an atheist, how do I deal with this?_

"So she said that Diana was a good person?" Ninten asked. "Where did that come from?"

Paula blushed.

"Jeff brought her up," she said. "And I may have overreacted. I mean, Diana's a horrible soul, right?"

 _Didn't seem that way to me,_ Ninten thought.

"She definitely was," he answered. "Now, I don't know. People change."

Paula's face tightened visibly.

"Did you meet her?" she asked.

Ninten nodded.

"…I guess that you can make that judgement, then," she conceded, her voice softening. "But Kumatora wasn't there. I spoke out against Diana's false god, and she said that it wasn't wrong to worship a god other than the real one…" Paula trailed off. "But you don't come from a noble family, right? So you're not religious?"

 _If only she knew…_ Ninten thought.

"Yeah, I don't," he lied. "I can't tell from your report alone, but I think that Kumatora went on the offensive against your beliefs because she was a bit touchy about your opposition of Diana. Evil as she may be, Diana saved Kumatora's life when all seemed lost."

"Oh," Paula said, her eyes shining with hope. "So you don't think that she hates me?"

"Why would she?" Ninten asked.

Right then, two police officers walked down the hall, their clanking armor altering Ninten to their presence. Ninten paused, taken aback by their presence. Why would police officers be at a school?

 _Ah, right,_ Ninten thought. _Pokey's death._

The cops wore plate armor that gleamed in the light. They really did look like knights of old. Paula shrank back, and Ninten had to force himself not to follow suit.

"You," one of the officers said, pointing at Ninten. "Your name is Ninten, yes?"

 _Ah, psych,_ Ninten thought. _What have I gotten myself into?_

"Yeah," he answered.

"You're coming with us," the officer said. "You're suspected for the murder of Pokey Minch."

Paula gasped softly, although Ninten couldn't tell if she believed that he killed Pokey or was merely surprised that the police would accuse him. Ninten raised an eyebrow.

"I have an alibi," he said. "Claus and Ness were with me. None of us saw Pokey the night of the starman attack."

"They're both suspects as well," the officer said. "Now come along or we'll make you."

Ninten's eyes narrowed.

"…All right," he said.

"Good," the officer said. "Now, empty your pockets. I don't want you pulling a knife on us."

Something about the cop's tone tipped Ninten off.

 _They know that I have Dynaldas,_ Ninten thought.

"I actually do have a weapon," Ninten said. "Gimme a sec while I drop it off in my room."

"Not so fast," the officer said, holding out a gauntleted hand. "We'll take it."

"…And you won't ever give it back," Ninten replied with a sneer. "I know your type."

"You will _not_ talk to me like that!" the officer boomed.

Ninten wished that the cop would take his helmet off. It felt like he was talking to a hunk of metal.

"Why not?" Ninten asked. "It's obvious that you mean to steal my knife. You're too eager."

"We do not _steal_ anything," the officer hissed. "And you are _arrested!_ How do you like that?"

"Not much," Ninten replied with a smirk. "Fortunately, you don't have the power to enforce it."

"Just try me!" the officer yelled, taking a step forward.

"Look at yourself," Ninten said. "This is what your greed pushes you to do. Maybe you should take a step back."

"Greed?" the officer asked. "GREED?"

"You will take my knife," Ninten said calmly, "Which happens to be psionically enchanted. Then you will put it on trial. Yes, I know how your little legal loopholes work. You will put the _knife_ on trial, and then the judge will declare it guilty, even though it's a psyching knife. Then you get to steal it even though you haven't convicted me of anything."

The officer seemed startled, although Ninten couldn't tell for sure under his plate armor.

"They can really do that?" Paula asked softly. "Then can put your _property_ on trial and just… take it if it's found guilty?"

"Sadly, yes," Ninten said, staring the officer in the eye. "He can make up some bullshit excuse and just steal it. Legally. It happens more often than you would think."

"You brats think that you're so high and mighty," the officer said, his tone dropping dangerously low.

"Tell me, are all police officers hypocrites, or are you the only one?" Ninten shot back.

"You little idiot," the officer muttered. "I can throw you in jail and nobody will question me. I can let you rot away and nobody will care."

"That's where you're wrong," Ninten said with a superior smile. "You see, power is a… variable thing. What if I told you that this knife allows me to use a psionic power that can… stop your heart?"

"You're bluffing," the officer said.

 _You wish,_ Ninten thought.

"There's a reason that Dynaldas is called the knife of power," Ninten said. "Luckily for you, my psionics are weak. You can probably block that power with your psionic aura… oh wait. You're not a psion. You can't block _anything._ "

"I'm going to lock you up, brat!" The officer spat. "If you threaten me one more time, you'll have the whole police force breathing down your neck."

"Then I'll deal with all of them," Ninten said bluntly.

The officer hesitated.

"I'm going to say this once," Ninten said with a cold smile. "If you and your fellow _legal criminals_ attack me, I will kill you where you stand. Maybe you should reevaluate your actions."

The officer looked like he was contemplating the idea.

"…Why don't you just give up the knife?" he asked. "We can both walk away safely that way."

"See?" Ninten asked. "You respect me because I have power over you. That's all that you and your kind know. Intimidation, torture, theft, and murder. Anything to get you some more of that sweet, sweet power."

Ninten felt a kind of rage that was different from anything else that he had ever experienced before. His anger was cold and calculated. He knew what he was getting himself into. He knew the risks.

But he knew that he was right.

"I… guess I'll question the other suspects," the officer said, clearly afraid of Ninten but not wanting to admit it.

"No you won't," Ninten said with a savage smile. "You implied that you suspected that we're all accomplices. You either have to charge all of us or none. Because if you're not charging me, they have an alibi."

"But the only reason that I'm not charging you is that you threatened me…" the officer trailed off.

"That's how the law works," Ninten said with a cold smile. "You coerce people into doing what you want, and then you activate other loopholes in the system. I'm simply employing your tactics. Aren't you proud of me?"

The officer said nothing. After about a minute, he turned away and walked off. Ninten exhaled, trying to rid himself of the lingering rage. It was only then that he remembered the other officer. This man stood less aggressively.

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't threaten you. I hope that you'll do the same?"

Ninten nodded curtly.

The officer took off his helmet, revealing an oval-shaped, dark-skinned face. He wore a serious look that Ninten didn't know how to interpret.

"You sure like to play with fire, don't you?" he asked Ninten, not unkindly.

"I just don't care about the fire," Ninten replied. "I'll do what I think is right, regardless of the danger. It makes me kind of an asshole sometimes."

"…You really seem to hate us," the officer said.

Ninten released a sigh.

"My father told me the worst about you," he said. "His name is Theodore, and he comes from Ellay."

The officer's eyes widened slightly.

"That explains it," he said. "That man knows all of our darkest secrets. I suppose it happens when we try to capture him for decades."

"Was your father a criminal, Ninten?" Paula asked.

"Oh, yes," the officer replied with a chuckle. "Teddy was one psych of a criminal. He's not a bad person, really, but both he and the police force are prickly and proud. When we butt heads with him… I bet you can guess how that ends."

"You seem different from the rest of them," Ninten said.

"I actually want to help this universe, believe it or not," the officer said. "There are dangerous criminals out there. Some of them rape and kill. Someone needs to apprehend them, so why not me? But the longer that I work at my job, the more I realize that the police force and the civilians don't really understand each other."

"That's because most police officers are egotistical knight wannabes," Ninten said bitterly. "They don't know anything except for pride and force."

"No, it's not that," the officer replied. "Most of us have good intentions. The problem is that we tend to support other officers, regardless of the situation. A few bad apples like _that_ guy can lead a whole police force to disaster when everyone else follows them."

 _Huh,_ Ninten thought. _I never thought about it that way._

"But it _is_ important to trust your team," the officer continued. "So I don't know what to do."

"Why would you trust people who you don't even know?" Ninten asked.

"Because you can't do everything alone," the cop answered. "And your friends won't always be there to save you. Take my word for it."

Ninten didn't know what to think about that. He had been conditioned from a young age to think that most strangers would hurt him if they saw profit in it.

"You're cynical," the officer continued, "And I can see why. But sometimes, that's not the way to go. You have to put some faith in humanity."

"…I'll try," Ninten said. "It just doesn't feel safe to trust this society."

"What's the good of safety if you can't live life the way that you want to?" the officer responded. "I would rather live a shorter, hopeful life than a longer, bitter one."

Ninten blinked. He hadn't considered that.

"You really think that?" Paula spoke up. "That it's okay to take even illogical risks if it makes you feel better?"

"Sure," the officer replied. "It's your life."

Ninten nodded.

"Yeah…" he said. "You have to take some chances in life. Sure, you'll fail, but that's okay. You can always get back on your feet."

"That's the spirit," the officer said with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to return to my job. It was nice talking to you, Ninten. You seem to know what to do, but your cynicism gets in the way. One day, you'll have to learn how to put trust in a complete stranger, even if it doesn't make sense."

The officer put his helmet back on and walked down the hall, leaving Ninten to reevaluate his views on society. For the longest time, he had accepted what his dad said about the police force and society as a whole. He had taken those words as the truth…

But was that really the case?

* * *

 **Hey, guys. One last note. :)**

 **The thing about the police officer stealing the knife from Ninten would be completely legal in America. **

**It's called civil forfeiture, and it's honestly really scary. If you want to learn more without getting depressed or bored, John Oliver has a great video about it on youtube. Just search "John Oliver civil forfeiture." He does a great job of making it funny so it's not too sad and not too boring. I highly recommend watching it. I would post a link, but I don't think that this site would let me (at least, it doesn't in PMs).**


	26. Chapter 20: Mob Rule

**Well, this story is officially longer than City of Progress, yet there's been like a quarter of the plot. I understand that this fantasy stuff can go pretty slowly, so thanks for sticking with me! :)**

 **Also, ch. 20. It's er... a multiple of 10? xD I don't really know where I was going with that. I do wish that I had a bit more time to expand on some of the things in this chapter, but since this is already moving so slowly... Well, I decided to start picking up the pace.**

 **Fair warning: There will be few more OCs in the upcoming chapters. Since it took me like 3 months to get this far, I've come up with more ideas that I want to implement. Many of those ideas require OCs.**

 **Ambitious plan alert: I'm going to try to finish this story by the end of this month so that I can work on college apps and maybe write some one-shots for other game series. I mean, that's the plan right now, but it always takes longer than I expect to get this stuff out...**

 **Also, I decided to follow Phoesong (again) and respond to reviews in non-bold text. Reading her responses to my reviews became easier after she did that, so I thought that I'd do the same for you. Sorry it took me so long haha. And as always,** **my responses to guests will come in the order that you guys reviewed, meaning that I respond to the first reviewer first.** **I just don't want you guys reading other people's review responses and thinking that I'm talking to you. ;) But thank you guys for the amount of reviews that I received last chapter. It really makes me happy to get so much support.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Guest:** Thanks! :) And it's not a silly question! My Ness and Ninten have black eyes, but they don't have any eye color in their actual games, so many writers take a different view on that.

 **Guest:** Yeah... I have a habit of writing about messed up characters. D: I thought that Ness was going to be my normal character... nope! And I don't update only on Thursdays. :) I just post new chapters whenever I feel that they're ready. And thanks! :) I'm glad that you like my writing, since I take this site more seriously than I should. xD

 **Guest:** Heh, I was coming up with a character for Ninten's dad and he seemed a lot like Teddy, so I was like "Why not?" :) It's good to consolidate characters haha. Yeah, that happens, doesn't it? Paula totally overreacted, but it's still possible to feel bad for her. That's why I love big, fat fantasy; the multiple viewpoints can change how you think about a character (Game of Thrones does an excellent job with this). Thanks! :)

 **PSIBoy:** Yeah, a lot of mysteries surround Lucas. I've had them worked out in my head for months, so I sometimes forget that I have to tell them. xD It's so weird. I guess that I just... kinda assume that it will come out naturally? I dunno. And I can tell you right now that Ninten _is_ pretty cocky. :P He doesn't try to exaggerate his strengths; he just thinks that he's stronger than he is. Well, that and he feels way less fear than he should. xD Yep... Ana getting hurt was already part of the plan, but I think that I can tie it to character growth. :)

 **A Fan:** Uh... research? Lotus trees aren't real. xD At least, I don't think so... o.O

Congrats! :) And yeah, the officer did kinda stand back, but both Ninten and the other cop were kinda on the edge... he didn't want to make things worse and didn't know how to make things better. Maybe I should have made that more clear... or maybe it's fine even though it's a little ambiguous. *shrugs*

Actually, the John Oliver youtube video on Civil Forfeiture has something kinda like that. And I would love to see that in Ace Attorney 6 as well. xD Phoenix defended an orca, so why not a stack of cash? :P But yeah, that scene that you depicted made me laugh. We should petition for a case like that! :D

 **Orangeflight of ShadowClan:** Uh... for Halloween... I turned off all of the lights so that nobody would think that I was home and I watched youtube videos/worked on this chapter. It's pretty sad. xD Yeah, 100 reviews will be exciting. :)

Tabula rasa means "blank slate" in Latin (I think?). It has a variety of applications, but the one I was referring to was the psychological use of the term. Some psychologists (none today, thankfully), thought that the human mind was a blank slate and that everyone was the exact same at birth. ._. Anyways, it refers to Kumatora's amnesia, implying that she's starting over with a blank slate, but she already seems to have quite a bit of personality, which is the reason for the question mark at the end. I didn't really expect anyone to get it; I just thought that it would be fun. :)

Yeah... Claus is kinda unstable. xD I actually like that section a lot (comparatively, I mean... I'm not a huge fan of anything that I write haha). And yep, you'll figure out later. :P Not _too_ late, though... part of it will be revealed by the end of this book. Ah I have so much to cover! DX And related rates suck. I would try to describe them, but I would do a bad job and then engineering majors would pounce on me. Thanks for pointing out the typos! Super embarrassing haha. As for the end of this trilogy, I can't promise anything yet (although I do have a general idea of how it's going to end up).

Uh... the lotus tree isn't real. xD At least, not to my knowledge. o.O Yep, orange is basically the best thing ever (even though my favorite color is blue haha). Ah... I'll try to give a super quick explanation. Endorphins are natural painkillers that allow you to do stuff right after you break a bone or something so that you can escape the bad situation. An appendix is a structure in the human body that serves no purpose (although it sometimes bursts, which I hear is not fun). It's often cited as evidence for evolution because it's theorized to have possessed some kind of importance long ago but was just kinda carried down through natural selection. Lucas is wondering if emotions are the same.

Alsom Garrickson was the slaver who Diana killed. Yup, Ness hasn't done anything wrong to Paula (so far as he knows... Tony thinks that Ness did something bad and then hypnotized himself into forgetting). Yeah, some cops are racist, but I figure that we only hear about the worst cases. Most of them aren't so bad... but the way that they always support each other even when one of them is being racist kinda scares me. :( But I can totally see why they feel the need to trust each other, so... I dunno.

Hey, the person who put the device in is a relevant character who wasn't in school at the time. That narrows it down, doesn't it? :) Yeah, I don't hold the dead in any particular esteem myself. Yeah, I used to care a _ton_ about what people thought of me. Now... not so much. *shrugs* I mean, it's bad to care too much about what people think, but it's also bad to care too _little_ about what people think. And thanks! :) Well... we teenagers don't have a whole lot of self-control, even on a neurological level. It's harder for us to control our impulses, so we tend to think "Oh, this could be cool," rather than "This seems cool; what's the catch?" I'm no exception to this, it's just that what I view as "cool" isn't really rebellious or dangerous. xD

Ooh. How big was the spider? xD I probably wouldn't sprint away, but I definitely would back off and get my dad to kill it. One of my friends said that she thought that it would be cool to have a glow-in-the-dark scorpion a pet... that would horrify me haha. ._. I don't know what I'm going to do with A Harmless Game, honestly. I kinda want to write a short story based off of it, but my passion is really in novel-length stuff. See you later! :)

* * *

 _Lucas is starting to open up to me. I learned about some of the problems that he struggles with. They're not pretty._

 _Just yesterday, he asked me if I ever feel like killing myself. Of course I don't! Why would I? …But Lucas does. Is that normal?_

 _No._

 _I can't believe that. I can't believe that his problems are standard. Because they shouldn't be._

 _And if they are… Well, I don't know how I could live with that knowledge._

* * *

"So, Kumatora, is it?" Ninten asked, increasing his pace as he walked up to catch her in the generously colored hallways of the school.

The girl favored Ninten with a smirk.

"Yep," she said. "I guess the news got around quickly, huh?"

"It's not every day that someone falls from the sky in a UFO," Ninten said, smiling back. "The name's Ninten. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Kumatora said, sounding more sincere than polite. "As for falling out of the sky… I'm told that I did that a while ago. I have amnesia. I don't know what the hell happened to me."

 _There's that curse again,_ Ninten thought. _"Hell." First Duster and now her. I wonder where this girl comes from, because we sure as psych don't use that word as a curse in America._

"Does that concern you?" Ninten asked.

"Does it look like it?" Kumatora shot back, an easygoing smile popping onto her face.

"Well, why not?" Ninten asked. "I know that I would be angry if I lost 15 years of my life."

"What is lost can be found," Kumatora said. "My memory isn't gone. It's just… hiding. I know that I'll get it back eventually."

 _Life doesn't work that way,_ Ninten thought. _It takes wild dips and turns, gifting and devastating as it pleases. She might get her memory back, but she might not. It's not something that she can really control._

Ninten, however, did not wish to pop her bubble.

"So, we have Intro to PSI soon, right?" Kumatora asked.

"Yep," Ninten said. "We don't actually use psionics, though. That comes in second semester. You'll have plenty of time to decide what you want to do."

"What do you mean?" Kumatora asked.

"I mean, what kind of psion you want to be."

"Huh," Kumatora said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Psion. That doesn't ring any bells. For some reason, the word 'wilder' pops into my head."

"…Oh," Ninten said.

 _Where_ does _this girl come from?_ he thought. _Who the psych trains wilders anymore?_

"You don't seem to think that's a good thing," Kumatora noted with a grin.

"Just watch your back, all right?" Ninten said.

Kumatora halted.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" she asked, looking at Ninten like he was crazy.

"You don't really want to know," he said, picturing a red target on her forehead. "I _can_ tell you what a wilder does, though. Their powers aren't as diverse, but they pack a larger punch. Although… that extra strength comes at a cost. Wilders put their emotion into psionics, which can cause them to go too far. When you try to push the limits of your psionics… you end up overchanneling, which can result in permanent brain damage, loss of psionic abilities, or death. Most wilders end up doing this eventually."

"So wilders are like bonfires, huh?" Kumatora asked. "We burn out in a blaze."

"You still don't seem concerned by that," Ninten noted.

"Life works out," Kumatora said with a shrug. "So long as I do what I care about, I'll be happy."

Something about those words irked Ninten. Someone Kumatora's age shouldn't believe in such fantasies.

"So what _do_ you care about?" Ninten asked.

"I have the rest of my life to figure that out," she replied, her eyes hopeful and her smile genuine.

Ninten couldn't help but feel the urge to fight Kumatora on this subject. She sounded too _happy._ It made Ninten feel uncomfortable.

 _You're bitter because she has what you lost,_ he told himself. _She can find beauty in this world while you cannot. You can pretend that she's innocent, but innocence means something different for everyone. Someone like you who sees only the dark is just as ignorant as someone like her who sees only the light._

Ninten sighed. Kumatora _did_ remind him of himself. It almost made him wish that he still acted jovial and energetic.

Almost.

"What's that sigh for?" Kumatora asked. "Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"…One of us is stupid," Ninten said. "I don't know which of us it is."

Kumatora laughed.

"You can't answer a question straight to save your _life,_ can you?"

 _Think of her like Tony,_ Ninten told himself. _Don't you miss talking with someone so happy?_

"I guess I can't," Ninten said, smiling back.

"At least you admit it," she said with a snort. "I can't stand stubborn people."

"You seem rather… strong-willed yourself," Ninten pointed out.

Kumatora barked a laugh.

"It takes guts to call someone you hardly know a hypocrite right to their face," she said. "And yeah, I'm stubborn. That's why I hate other stubborn people. Have you ever seen two people try to yell over each other because neither of them will accept the other's opinion? It isn't pretty."

"I guess that makes sense," Ninten said. "I'm an asshole and I hate other assholes for that reason."

"Nah, you're not bad," Kumatora said with a colorful grin. "People probably just take the stuff you say the wrong way. I've already offended half of the people I've talked to about things that they shouldn't have really cared about. I wish that society in general was less sensitive."

"Being sensitive isn't bad," Ninten said.

"You think?" Kumatora asked, cocking her head.

"Yeah," Ninten said. "Being sensitive just means feeling emotions strongly. I'm sensitive, and I hope that you are. And this guy is, despite his calm attitude." Ninten pointed to Poo, who stood right out of the Intro to PSI classroom.

Kumatora's expression immediately stiffened.

"Who… _is_ that?" She asked, her lips forming into a vague sneer.

Ninten took a step away.

"What?" she asked, turning on him.

 _Racist,_ Ninten thought.

Poo turned around. Upon seeing Kumatora, his eyes nearly bugged out of his skull.

"Err… Kumatora," he said, shuffling his feet.

"How do you know me?" Kumatora snapped.

Poo blinked.

"You don't remember me?" he asked hopefully.

"I have amnesia," she said, her glare made of pure malice. "Now _what did you do to me?_ Why do I want to punch you right now?"

 _Wow,_ Ninten thought, taking another step away. _How can Poo stay so calm? If I were him, I probably would have pissed my pants by now._

"That," the Dalaamian said flatly, "Is something that I would rather not say."

"Tell me," Kumatora hissed.

"No," Poo insisted.

"Why is everyone trying to hide everything from me?" she asked nobody in particular, sparks forming at her fingertips. "Aphrodite, the nature of wilders, and now my past with you. Nobody wants to let me have a psyching _piece_ of my former life!"

 _Geez,_ Ninten thought, holding his hands up defensively. _And she complained about people being sensitive. She's a wilder to the core. I hope that she can control her powers and doesn't end up burning down a village. I should get Jeff to look up historical examples of wilders losing control of their psionics and lecture her about it._

"Bah!" Kumatora shouted, stomping into the classroom and slamming the door behind her.

Poo offered Ninten a weak shrug.

"What _did_ you do?" Ninten asked.

"I… hurt her," Poo said simply. "But she would have gotten hurt anyway. I can see why she hates me, but I would make the same choice today if I found myself in the same situation."

"Ah," Ninten said. "Of course you can't just say that to her. She would see you as a monster, even if you really didn't do anything wrong."

"I used to wonder if I should have done something else," Poo said softly. "But nothing that I could have done would have saved her. Nothing. I hope that you don't ever find yourself in that position, Ninten. But if you do… you'll learn who you truly are."

Poo shook his head and walked into the classroom.

 _Psych,_ Ninten thought with a rueful smile. _This is way too heavy for eight in the morning._

Luckily, he saw someone who he actually wanted to talk to walking towards him.

"You seem to be quite deep in contemplation," Ana said, walking up to him with a characteristic smile. "What's up?"

"I wish that I could say," Ninten replied, "But I really don't know."

"Yeah, this past week has been pretty crazy," she said. "It feels weird thinking that someone in this school could have murdered Pokey."

"Tell me about it," Ninten said with a snort. "Some police officers tried to question me. I may or may not have scared them off."

Ana laughed.

"That's so like you," she said, shaking her head. "I guess it makes sense that they interrogated you. There aren't too many people in this building who can use psionics, after all."

"Psionics?" Ninten asked. "Pokey died from a knife in the chest. What do psionics have to do with anything?"

"The cops didn't tell you?" Ana asked, seeming surprised. "After performing an autopsy, forensics experts determined that Pokey was killed with the mind thrust power. The knife was inserted afterwards."

"So the killer murdered Pokey with psionics and stuck a knife in him to make it seem like a regular person killed him?" Ninten asked. "Seems sloppy."

Ana nodded.

"Then there's the fact that the killer _left Pokey's body in the middle of the hallway._ If that doesn't scream 'hasty framing attempt' to me, then nothing does."

"But who was the killer trying to frame?" Ninten asked. "And why was he or she so desperate? Psych, why would the killer even want to murder Pokey in the first place?"

"I don't know," Ana said. "But that's probably why the officers suspected you. They see a teenage boy who can use psionics and wasn't in the bunker. You fit all of the criteria for someone would commit a stupid murder like that."

"…Do you think that Claus could have killed Pokey?" Ninten asked. "He fits all of the criteria as well, and he wasn't with me the entire time."

"I don't want to jump to conclusions," Ana said, "Since you often do that. Poorly."

She flashed a smile that took the edge off of her words. Not that Ninten cared.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I do that."

"But hey, we have to focus on the happy parts of life," Ana said. "We should go out for ice cream after class. I can pay."

"Sounds great!" Ninten exclaimed. "Nothing like free ice cream… although, your parents give you so much money that it doesn't even seem like you're paying."

Ana laughed sweetly.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm kind of spoiled. The least that I can do is share the riches with my friends."

"Well, now I have something to look forward to," Ninten said. "Maybe today _won't_ be so bad. Thanks, Ann."

"Oh, it's nothing," Ana said with a blush. "Like you said, it hardly affects my money supply at all."

 _Why do people always feel the need to say that their efforts are nothing?_ Ninten wondered. _I never understood that._

"Well, let's see if we can make it through Intro to PSI," Ninten said. "I bet the others will be happy with the news."

Ana laughed.

"It's just ice cream, Ninten. I don't think that they'll really care."

"It's not the ice cream that makes people care," Ninten said. "It's the gesture. One small act of kindness can really make someone's day."

Ana's eyes lit up with understanding. She smiled, her huge grin seeming more genuine than her usual dainty smiles. In that moment, Ninten almost felt like he was back playing with her in Podunk, neither of them weighed down by the issues that were now piled on their backs.

"Well," Ninten said. "We gotta go. Class is about to start soon."

"Yeah," Ana said, walking up and opening the door to the Intro to PSI room. "See you after class… And during class, I guess."

Ninten snorted, followed Ana into the classroom. As he made his way over to his seat, he noticed that Mr. Agerate was missing.

"Hello," a woman standing at the front of the classroom announced. "I will be your substitute teacher for this class."

The woman's fiery red hair stood out amongst her drab clothing, flowing down her back in a wavy fashion. Her piercing blue eyes surveyed the room, examining the students like test subjects. She wore a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Ninten found himself instantly disliking this woman. The way that she held herself seemed dainty yet harsh, like a sadistic child who didn't recognize that her personality was offensive.

"What happened to Mr. Agerate?" Tony asked, sounding disappointed.

"The first thing that you will learn in _my_ class is that you will speak when spoken to," the woman told Tony, her voice falsely sweet.

"Oh psych, you spoke to me," Tony replied, pretending to be flustered. "I gotta say something now. Err… chipmunks! Spaceships! I don't know… something!"

This provoked laughter from the class. The new teacher did not seem amused.

"No swearing in the class," she said. "That will be detention for you."

The rest of the class stopped laughing. The teacher looked at Tony like a child would look at an injured bug. It seemed like she wanted him to squirm and fight her, but Tony merely raised an eyebrow.

"So what _did_ happen to Mr. Agerate?" Tony asked.

 _He's really pushing his luck…_ Ninten thought. _Not that I mind. This is quite entertaining._

"…Minerva Carpainter called him in," the teacher said, her icy smile remaining plastered on her face. "He should be back soon… if he comes back at all. The president doesn't call in people for happy reasons."

Students gasped. Ninten managed to keep his face even, but just barely. What did Agerate do that would alert the president?

"So I'm replacing him," the teacher said with a harsh gaze, clearly knowing that the students already preferred Mr. Agerate over her. "I am Ms. Monotoli, and it's my job to dig you out of this pit that Agerate got you stuck in."

The students grumbled.

"Excuse me?" Ms. Monotoli asked, her voice sweet yet scathing.

The students immediately quieted. Ninten couldn't help but sneer in disgust.

"Ninten," Jeff whispered. "I heard this teacher talking to Mr. Agerate the night of the starman attack. He called her Juno and she called him Apollo, so I think that they know each other fairly well. They seemed to have a past together."

"And?" Ninten whispered back.

"And Ms. Monotoli is hostile towards him," Jeff said. "I don't think that Mr. Agerate set her up as our sub."

 _Great,_ Ninten thought. _Guess I'm in for a doozy._

"And something about her makes me uncomfortable," Jeff added.

"You think?" Ninten asked sarcastically.

"She seemed to know things," Jeff said, his voice deadly serious. "Mr. Agerate thought that she hurt Paula in some way. Be careful, all right?"

 _I don't think I'm physically able to do that,_ Ninten thought.

"Sure," he said.

Jeff's face seemed to relax.

"Oh, dear," Ms. Monotoli said, looking in Ninten's general direction.

 _Psych,_ Ninten thought. _She heard us._

"One of the people who usually sits there is skipping class," she observed.

 _…Oh._

"Ah, yes," Ms. Monotoli said, her voice calm yet savage. "Mr. Agerate left a nice seating chart. It appears that Ness is skipping this class. Someone should tell him about the benefits of education."

"He's shaken," Ninten spoke up. "He knew the student who was killed just a week ago. He saw Pokey Minch's corpse with his own eyes. You can't expect someone to care about classes after _that._ "

Ms. Monotoli giggled. It sounded creepily similar to a child's.

"I _can_ expect whatever I want," she said. "Because _I_ am the teacher. Yes, the murder scared us all, but we're still here in this room. He isn't. I state only the facts."

 _But that's the problem!_ Ninten wanted to shout. _You state the facts and not the feelings. You don't see just how hurt he was by Pokey's death._

"Now," Ms. Monotoli said. "We're nearing the end of this semester, and we still need to cover telepathy, psychoportation, clairsentience, and other pure psionic occupations such as wilders and psychic warriors."

 _Why do psionic disciplines use such stupid names?_ Ninten thought. _Seriously? Even clairvoyance is easier to remember than "clairsentience." I swear, these people make it difficult to learn on purpose!_

"We shall start with telepathy," Ms. Monotoli continued. "Now, you children probably think that telepathy is only used for reading minds, right?"

"No," Kumatora answered. "Mind reading and mental communication is only a small part of mind-affecting PSI. Many telepathy abilities assault the mind while others mess with perception in some way."

"Mind thrust is a staple telepathy power that inflicts damage," Ana added.

Ms. Monotoli smiled at Kumatora. It was not friendly.

"That's _psionic powers,_ not PSI abilities," she chided.

"But I'm basically right," Kumatora said, raising an eyebrow.

Ms. Monotoli seemed to struggle with this.

"…I suppose," she conceded.

 _Geez,_ Ninten thought. _What kind of teacher hates it when her students are right? Isn't the point of teaching to help us learn the stuff?_

"But the rest of you doubtless pictured telepathy in this light," Ms. Monotoli continued.

"I didn't," Jeff said defensively.

"Yeah," Ninten added. "Some of us have received a basic education before this class. We obviously don't know everything, but we're not completely oblivious."

"…I didn't know that," Tony admitted.

"See?" Ms. Monotoli asked, favoring Tony with a smile. "At least _one_ of you is honest."

 _Oh, we're liars for knowing the right answer,_ Ninten thought spitefully. _This reminds me of the "education" in America._

Jeff looked like he was about to explode but said nothing.

"Yes?" Ms. Monotoli asked him. "Do you have something to say?"

"…No," Jeff answered.

Ninten shot a glance at Ana. Her face looked surprisingly neutral.

 _This reminds me of the time when she saved Ness from Pokey's bullying,_ he thought, _But she's not doing anything this time._

"Stop messing with him," Kumatora cut in. "Even if he's lying, which he probably _isn't,_ you don't need to get all nosy about it."

Ms. Monotoli turned her icy gaze over to Kumatora, who flashed a defiant smile. Neither one of them seemed to have any intention of backing down.

 _Well, now I know two people not to mess with,_ Ninten thought, feeling more than happy to let the two of them fight it out verbally.

"Who are you?" Ms. Monotli asked. "And why are you in this classroom?"

"I got put in this class," Kumatora shot back. "If you have a problem with that, then you can talk to the people in the office."

"You're not on the list that I have," Ms. Monotoli said.

"I'm new," Kumatora replied. "I was stuck in a coma for months. I just woke up."

"Ah… so that's where your amnesia came from."

Kumatora nodded.

"Wait," Ana said, finally speaking up. Her eyes shone with the intensity of a wolf pursuing its prey. "Nobody ever told you that Kumatora had amnesia."

Ms. Monotoli blinked, her eyes flashing surprise for a split second. They returned to neutral so quickly that Ninten wasn't sure if the shock had even been real.

"I… looked it up," she replied shakily. "This school has records…"

"Except you didn't know who Kumatora was before today," Ana said with a secretive smile. "Or _did_ you?"

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Ms. Monotoli asked with a weak smile that only covered up a fraction of her unease.

"I… did get the sense that I knew you before today, even with my amnesia," Kumatora said. "When I saw you, I instantly wanted to punch your smiley face. Well, I wanted to punch it _more_ than everyone else did."

Multiple students gasped. Ninten had to resist the urge to clap.

"Is it possible that you two have a past together?" Ana asked, her falsely sweet voice mimicking Ms. Monotoli's.

"Out," Ms. Monotoli hissed. "Both of you!"

Ana immediately stood up, a cold smile plastered on her face.

"You can beat us," she said. "But you cannot force us to fall to our knees and apologize."

Kumatora guffawed, slowly rising out of her seat.

"Detention," Ms. Monotoli said. "Both of you. I'll see you at seven o' clock tomorrow. Have a nice day."

"Just how much of your appearance is a lie?" Ana asked, shaking her head. "How much of your attitude is articulated? Because when someone challenges your authority, I think that we start to see the _real_ you."

She strode out of the room, her posture saying more about her confidence than words ever could.

"…I'll find out who you are," Kumatora said to Ms. Monotoli. "And if you caused as much pain as my subconscious is telling me…" Kumatora snapped, and a ring of flames appeared around her waist. She flashed a smirk.

Ms. Monotoli's face paled.

"You have a nice day too," Kumatora spat.

The flames around her disappeared in an instant, leaving behind no residue. She turned around and walked out of the door.

The whole class was silent as Ms. Monotoli struggled to recover.

* * *

Ninten spent the next hour thinking about Kumatora's exit.

 _She created fire. In air. Combustion needs matter other than air to work, which is why most "fireballs" are just orbs of compact energy that ignite things. But this was different. The fire burned and sizzled. It blazed and it consumed._

 _Just what could be fueling those flames? Did she… create matter to burn? But no, that would be next to impossible, even with a nuclear reaction. Maybe psionics makes less sense than I thought._

His thoughts went on like that. After a while, he started to notice that Ms. Monotoli was talking about mind thrust.

"You students think that psychokinetics provide the most brute force, but mind thrust does more damage than any PK power," she said, drawing a diagram on the board that made no sense.

"Even at omega levels?" Tony asked.

"Ah, yes," Ms. Monotoli said disapprovingly. "The notion of Greek letters as indicators of strength. You should know by now that we stopped using that system millennia ago. Psionics allows for more flexible augmentation. Powers can be used at levels _between_ the archaic 'gamma' and 'omega' for psions who have not mastered the omega level. And yes, mind thrust is more powerful than any PK power at any level of augmentation."

"It's just a colloquialism," Jeff muttered, quietly enough so that the teacher couldn't hear.

"So," Ms. Monotoli continued. "Telepathy can do everything that psychokinetics can, but better."

 _I'd bet a year's stipend that she's making half of this up,_ Ninten thought in annoyance.

"But that doesn't tell the whole story," Claus spoke up. "Even I know that mind thrust only hits a single target. PK powers can be better for taking out groups of foes."

"Also," Ninten added. "Most competent psions can resist a mind thrust with their psionic aura, especially a mind thrust from someone as weak as us. Others put up mind shields that prevent _all_ telepathy powers from working on them. You can resist a mind thrust with mental power, but good luck blocking a fireball by willing it to go away."

"You don't need to concern yourselves with that yet," Ms. Monotoli replied, wagging her finger at them. "For your purposes, mind thrust is better than any PK attack."

 _This is what I get for participating,_ Ninten thought. _I'm just going to tune out Ms. Monotoli for the rest of class._

Only a few minutes after he decided that, he heard Ms. Monotoli questioning Paula about something.

"What do _I_ think about telepathy vs. psychokinetics?" Paula asked meekly. "I… I don't know, ma'am."

Ms. Monotoli flashed a vicious smile.

"Surely you have _some_ idea," she insisted.

"I… I've never really seen either of them in action," Paula admitted, shrinking back.

"Ah," Ms. Monotoli said. "Of course you haven't."

"W-What do you mean?" Paula asked.

"I mean that you're a spoiled little lady who doesn't worry about _real_ problems," Ms. Monotoli said matter-of-factly.

The room fell dead silent.

 _Did she really just say that?_ Ninten wondered.

He looked over to Paula. She seemed both appalled and horrified. She brought her hands up to the cross on her neck, shrinking back further.

"And whenever you find something _slightly_ wrong with life, you turn to that supposed fairy in the sky who you call god," Ms. Monotoli continued, noting Paula's cross. "I guess it's no wonder that you can't worry about real issues. You're too busy moaning to yourself while you claim that god is listening."

Even though he was an atheist, Ninten found Ms. Monotoli's words _extremely_ offensive. He felt fury building up in his system. Paula covered her ears with her hands, provoking a cruel laugh from Ms. Monotoli. Ninten could sense the sympathy of the students, but none of them were doing anything.

 _I guess if nobody else will…_ Ninten stood straight up.

"You!" Ninten shouted, pointing a finger at Ms. Monotoli. "You shut the psych up!"

The class gasped.

Ms. Monotoli's hot-blue eyes turned on Ninten.

"Excuse me?" She asked, her voice falsely sweet. "What did you say?"

"I told you to shut the psych up!" Ninten repeated. "Can't you see how much you're hurting Paula?"

"Who are you?" she asked. "Her boyfriend?"

"No," Ninten replied. "That's how bad your actions are. A random dude has to stand up and put you in your place."

 _…Even though I'm still sitting,_ Ninten thought.

Ms. Monotoli scoffed.

" _I_ am the teacher," she insisted. " _You_ are the student."

"We are people first," Ninten replied, trying to project his voice across the room. "And people shouldn't treat each other that way."

"This girl is soft," Ms. Monotoli said dismissively. "She's spoiled. She's never known real work."

"Who are you to judge?" Ninten asked, feeling the rage start to control him. He could have pushed it down if he wanted to, but why would he? "Even if what you're saying is true, which it psyching _isn't,_ terrorizing her about it is still inexcusable!"

Tony let out a supportive whoop. One by one, the students started clapping. After about a minute, sounds of applause and cheering filled the classroom. Ninten shot a glare at Ms. Monotoli. Her face paled as she took a step back.

"…You," she said, looking at Ninten with wide eyes. "Who do you think that you are to challenge _my_ authority?"

"An asshole," Ninten answered, "But I'm not quite as bad as you. I figure that taking out pitiful excuses for human beings is a step forward."

"I could expel you!" Ms. Monotoli shrieked.

"Do you want to try that?" Tony asked, standing up. "We're with Ninten. Do you want to fight all of us?"

"I… can if I have to!" Ms. Monotoli insisted, taking another step back as she drew a shaky breath.

"Then do it!" Ninten exclaimed. "See how it goes!"

More cheers followed. More people stood up.

"Heh," Ms. Monotoli said grimly. "I… I… teleport!"

She waved her hands, promptly disappearing from sight.

 _I… did it,_ Ninten thought. _I never thought that would work out, but I guess that even teachers buckle under the will of the masses. She'll probably come back with a vengeful streak, but I'll worry about that later._

"So I guess that I'm the new teacher now," Ninten said with a weary smile. "And class is dismissed."

Even more cheers followed.

* * *

"Thank you, Ninten," Paula whispered once the two of them were outside of the classroom. "I… don't know what I would have done without you."

Ninten found that years of being a happy idiot allowed him to conjure upbeat body postures. He adopted one and smiled. Hopefully, Paula would feel better if he didn't act like a complete asshole.

"You're welcome," he replied. "Ms. Monotoli was saying some pretty awful things to you. Somebody needed to shut her up, and I'm glad that I could."

"I'm sorry for putting you in that position," Paula whispered, "Where you felt that you had to attack her."

"Hey, I had fun with that!" Ninten exclaimed. "I've been wanting to say that to someone I know for years. I'm just glad that I found a way to help you."

Paula blushed.

"It… really means a lot to me," she whispered, her voice sounding various shades of joy. "I felt so _alone_ in there. When I saw you stand up and defend me…" Paula's blush deepened as she trailed off.

Right then, Poo strode out into the hallway towards Ninten and Paula. The way that he walked seemed serene yet confident in a way that baffled Ninten.

"Good job standing up, Ninten," he said. Turning to Paula, "I'm sorry that I didn't intervene. In Dalaam, we are taught to obey certain people without question… and teachers happen to fall into that group. I know that it doesn't justify my actions, but I hope that you believe me when I say that I'm truly sorry for how you were treated."

 _Geez,_ Ninten thought. _Poo is so smooth. The way that he talks makes it clear that he's completely engaged in his conversation. I've always wondered how people manage to do that._

"It's fine!" Paula replied quickly. "No problem, really!"

"Well, there's definitely a problem in that teacher," Poo said, his tone turning spiteful. "She's dangerous. You two may want to watch your backs."

A chill ran down Ninten's spine.

"Do you know her?" he asked.

"More than I would like to, yes," Poo answered. "Ana's parents are powerful, correct? Maybe you can convince them to take action against her. It may seem dramatic, but you'll need it."

"I'm actually planning on doing that right after the detention tomorrow," Ana said, materializing from around the corner. "She just told me that I had to meet her at… Oh, Paula! You look upset. Did something happen to you?"

Ninten looked at Paula. She looked normal to him. But then again, Ana had always been more attuned to facial expressions than he.

"The teacher attacked Paula and her religion," Poo explained, "But Ninten defended her. I'm sorry that you missed it."

"You did?" Ana asked Ninten in the tone of an approving mother. "And you call yourself an asshole."

Ninten shrugged. He still _was_ an asshole, but he didn't feel like explaining his evidence for that in front of Poo and Paula.

"Ninten was really brave," Paula whispered. "I don't think that I could stand up and fight against the teacher like that."

 _That's not really being brave,_ Ninten thought. _I just don't feel a strong sense of fear. Bravery is overcoming fear, not avoiding it in the first place._

"Well, I'm still planning on buying everyone ice cream," Ana said. "In fact, we should all go out to dinner. Divine Rulers know that we need it after _that._ "

"I… am not really supposed to hang out with people here," Poo said with a shrug. "In Dalaam, we see foreigners as savages, so people get all worked up when we let outsiders in our lives. Sorry."

"Aw, that's a shame," Ana said sympathetically. "Are you sure?"

Poo nodded.

"Well, if you say so…" Ana said. "Anyways, should I call up Jeff and Ness? I think that they would want in on this."

"Sure," Ninten said. "Assuming that you're okay with it, Paula."

"Of course I am," Paula replied. "The least that I can do for Ness is tolerate him."

"Great!" Ana exclaimed. "I'll gather everyone, and we can meet in a couple of hours for dinner and dessert. It's all on me, of course. Any questions?"

Nobody spoke.

"All right," Ana said. "See you guys soon!"

"I should probably go as well," Poo said. "Farewell."

The two of them walked away in opposite directions.

"Ninten," Paula whispered.

"Yeah?" Ninten asked.

"…I know that I said this before, but thank you again. You can't know how much your actions meant to me. Is there… anything that you want me to do in return?"

"Nah," Ninten replied. "Thanks for offering, though."

"I wish that I could be as independent as you," Paula said with a sigh. "I keep feeling like I'm bogging everyone else down."

 _She and Ness have a lot in common,_ Ninten thought. _Both of them worry way too much in general._

"Trust me," Ninten said. "You're fine as you are. Independence is overrated."

"…Really?" Paula asked, her eyes widening. "Am I really okay the way that I am?"

"Of course," Ninten replied. "Sure, you're not perfect, but you're trying to improve. That's more important than anything else."

Paula flashed an embarrassed smile.

"…Thanks," she said. "You take care, all right?"

"Yeah, you too," Ninten replied.

Paula nodded and turned to walk away. She turned back around, flashing him one last smile.

"See you at the dinner," she said. "I hope that Ana picks a place that you like. You deserve it."

Ninten smiled.

"Ann sometimes has trouble picking good places," he said. "She'll eat just about anything, so she doesn't really know what's good and what's not. I'm sure that Ness and Jeff will help her, though."

Paula laughed.

"Well, see you," she said, and then walked away.

 _Well, I guess that this day was kind of a success, all things considered,_ Ninten thought. _Imagine that._


	27. Chapter 21: The Funeral

**Phew, it was a struggle to get this out today, but I MADE IT! :D**

 **Not much to say about this chapter (surprisingly), but I** ** _will_** **try my hardest to get the next update out on Sunday. I'm really trying to wrap this story up by the end of the month... Anyways, I'm anticipating this story going to ch. 28. Yeah, not a whole lot of content left. I'm hoping that the climax won't seem to abrupt.**

 **And to make it clear:** **I will write sequels to this story.** **Actually, I'm shifting part of the planned climax over to story number 2, so hopefully I can start out with a bang.**

 **Now... onto** **Review Responses:**

 **Guest:** Thanks! :) Yeah, Ms. Monotoli is pretty offensive... and in this universe, it's considered less of a bad thing to bash religion like that (not that it makes it _actually_ any less bad... it's kinda like how racism was considered kinda ok in America through the 50s. It obviously isn't, but it's just normal for those people). But yeah, religion is less of a thing in this universe because the emperors in the past wanted the citizens to worship them instead of god. Again, thanks! :) It helps to know which parts you liked!

 **A Fan:** I did mention lotus trees before in this fic (they were actually kinda supposed to play a plot role but I cut that part out haha), so maybe you got it from there? And hey, it makes me feel good that my descriptions are so realistic that you think that it's real. :) Yeah, I might have been subconsciously thinking about that Ace Attorney case... by the way, who else is pumped for AA6? :D And yeah, I know why people say that their efforts are nothing (I say that all the time haha), but Ninten doesn't.

Heh, psychoportation is pretty funny. :P I didn't come up with the name, so I take no credit either way. And I'm with you on the "proper language" thing. Honestly, I didn't plan out the Ana thing ahead of time. It just... seemed to work. I just let my characters do what feels right. *shrugs* And PK Rockin, PK Starstorm, and PK Love aren't standard powers. She just didn't include them. And PK Ground scales, so it doesn't count. :P Yeah, I'm trying to find ways to flesh out Ms. Monotoli... honestly, I would have removed her if I hadn't put her in that one chapter at the end of part 1.

 **The-Great-Me-sama:** Heh, it's hard for me to write lighthearted chapters haha. This chapter's kind of dark, but after that it gets a bit lighter... and then we hit the climax. :)

 **crabbyTomato:** 102nd, I think. Not that it really matters. :) Yep, you gotta hate Ms. Monotoli. I'm still wondering what I'm going to do with her character (I have her plot role worked out... kinda). Yup, Kumatora, Poo, and Monotli history will be explained later... probably next story, sadly. I have a lot that I have to fit in this story haha. Ah, I'm glad that you liked Ninten rising up... I had a lot of fun writing that. :) And it's good to see that the Dalaamian culture thing has historical roots... from my limited studies in Asian history, it seemed that way, but I never really knew for sure. Additionally, that xenophobia is more pronounced in this world because the whole imperialism thing where the West took over in the 1800s didn't happen... so Dalaamians don't have a whole lot of contact with the outside universe (even in Earthbound, the only way to get there is to teleport!).

 **adricarra:** Well, I'm sorry that the internet hates you. :( Here in America, we have Comcast, which provides terrible internet service, so I can empathize. Yeah, the Poo and Kuma thing is going to have to wait a while... sigh. Well, you're definitely not alone in your hatred of Ms. Monotoli. Ah, glad to see that Ninten rising up really meant something to you. I can also empathize with wanting ice cream haha I'm not supposed to consume dairy. But... ice cream! D: I sometimes cheat and let myself have some. ;)

 **PSIboy:** Don't worry; I won't rush chapters. Well, maybe I will, but not for more than I did for City of Progress. I promised myself that I would edit each chapter three times before posting it (although my edits are usually pretty light... like 45 mins for one chapter per edit). Heh, welcome to epic fantasy, my friend! :) Yeah, this was why I talked to you about kinda wanting to eliminate Jeff's portion of the plot entirely... things are moving pretty slowly. To be honest, I didn't have a concrete idea of how I was going to write the climax until after writing the rough draft for the next chapter. You'll start to see tension building soon.

Yep, Poo and Kuma backstory coming later. And Ms. Montoli had good credentials... she's been teaching for a while; Ninten's the first one to really speak out against her (the culture in Ceres is more strict than today... teachers are kinda allowed to do whatever in the name of "teaching respect and authority"). As for Ana... we'll see. :) And we'll see if Ms. Monotoli is an empirist or not. :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** Ah, that was exactly what I intended with Pokey. Someone who's kind of a jerk, tries to redeem himself, but is killed before he gets the chance. Yeah, life can be unfair. :( Yeah, Claus is kinda screwed up. Aah I want to reveal all of the stuff that you want to know but it takes so long for the plot to move forward. Ah, a lot more on Pokey's death this chapter (in case you couldn't tell by the title name)! And I'm glad that you liked Ninten sticking up for Paula. Thanks! :)

* * *

 _I took Lucas to my secret spot in the Sunshine Forest today. It lies on the bank of a stream, straddling between forest and water. The stream glimmered in the sunlight; the frogs croaked outspoken melodies._

 _When I showed Lucas this place, he stopped slouching._

 _Such a simple gesture revealed so much. Lucas can learn to laugh and play and love. He just has to be taught._

 _I looked into his cerulean eyes and was amazed by what I saw there: longing._

 _I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Of course he longs to go back home. He only tolerates me because I take care of him._

 _I wish that I could show him how beautiful life is. I wish that I could make him care._

* * *

Ness walked through the vibrant halls of the school, not able stop thinking about the dinner with his friends last night. At first, he had been pleasantly surprised. Ninten didn't seem to bear any ill will against him. Ness was grateful for that.

However, that appreciation soon gave way to jealousy.

Ness knew that he _shouldn't_ begrudge Ninten for recovering quickly, but he _did._ Why did Ninten get to shrug off something that affected him to the core while Ness was still shaken by Pokey's death? Through all of Ness' agonizing and guilt, he secretly spited Ninten for being _better_ than him.

 _Quit it,_ he told himself. _Ninten has all the right to move on with his life. You wouldn't want him to stay mad at you anyway. You do things your way; he does things his way. Don't be a jerk about it._

If only it were that easy.

Ness sighed, his stomach growling as the smell of food from the cafeteria wafted into his nose. Ness looked up at the clock above the serving counters. It was already the middle of the afternoon. Because of that, not many people loitered in the cafeteria. However, Ness spotted someone who he did recognize.

Kumatora.

A sense of panic welled up in Ness. What if she knew about him from talking to Jeff? What if she heard about his girly artwork and judged him for it? What if she knew about his nightmares? What if-

Kumatora turned around and looked at him.

"Ninten?" she said. "Why do you look so… shy?"

 _Eek!_ Ness thought. His mind flashed through a dozen possibilities for how this conversation would proceed. None of them were optimistic.

"I-I'm Ness. It's Kumatora, right?"

Kumatora's eyes flashed with understanding.

"Yeah," she said. More softly, "Hey, you don't need to act like I have rabies or something. I don't bite… okay, maybe I do, but I promise that you won't get infected."

 _Uh…_ Ness thought, taking a step back. _Okay._

"That was a joke," Kumatora said with a sigh. "You're supposed to laugh."

"Ha… ha?" Ness said nervously.

Kumatora broke out into laughter.

"That was terrible," she said, wiping her eyes. "In a good way. Really, I'm not a mean person. Do you want to sit down?"

"Err… sure," Ness replied, walking over to a spot a few seats away from Kumatora.

"Do I repulse you so much that you have to sit _that_ far away from me?" Kumatora asked with a smirk.

"I… just have personal space issues," Ness said with a shrug. "Sorry."

"Nah, I'm just teasing," Kumatora replied. "So, you were the kid at dinner last night, right? Sorry for forgetting about you."

That apology made Ness feel a little better.

"I'm kind of a forgettable person," he said.

"Well of course you are with _that_ attitude," Kumatora said. "If you want to be remembered, you have to do something crazy. Oh, I know! You could try dressing up like a clown. Trust me, nobody would forget _that_ even if they wanted to."

Ness fidgeted in his seat.

"Um… no thanks," he said.

Kumatora laughed.

"Still teasing," she said. "You gotta lighten up a bit. Hey, do you want to hear a joke?"

"Okay…" Ness said, astounded at how quickly Kumatora could switched gears.

"Tumbleweed."

Ness blinked.

"Don't you _get_ it?" Kumatora asked, seeming aghast.

"Err…"

"Tumbleweed!" Kumatora exclaimed. "Isn't it funny?"

 _…No?_

"Yeah, it is," Ness said, hoping that he didn't like an idiot for taking so long to "get" it.

Kumatora put her hands on her hips, shooting an intense glare at the table next to her.

"Ana was right," she said. "I _hate_ it when that happens."

"You do?" Ness asked.

"Nah," Kumatora said. "I just wanted to seem dramatic. It's a quirk of mine. Anyways, there's nothing funny about tumbleweed."

"Oh," Ness said, feeling relieved.

"Ana told me that most people would pretend to understand the tumbleweed 'joke' if my acting was good enough," Kumatora continued. "I told her that she was crazy. But you're the third person I've tried it on, and all three pretended to know that the hell I was talking about. And according to Ana, it works even _better_ if I can get someone else to help me out. The more people, the more peer pressure."

"Oh," Ness repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"It actually scares me," Kumatora said, "That people will do so much to avoid disapproval from their peers. You know all of those signs on the walls that say 'don't do drugs' and stuff? Maybe we do stupid stuff like that because we're wired to do what makes our friends happy."

A shiver ran down Ness' spine. That _was_ scary.

"Um," Ness said. "Not that I don't like talking to you, but do you know where Claus might be?"

"Why?" Kumatora asked. "I mean, no offense, but he kinda seems like the type to push others away."

"Pokey's funeral is tomorrow," Ness whispered. "And I'm going. I want someone else with me."

There. Ness had stated his true feelings. He was too wimpy to go on his own.

"Couldn't you ask your friends?" Kumatora suggested. "I mean, I would go, but I didn't know the kid."

 _Claus kinda is my friend,_ Ness thought.

"Ninten and Jeff already said no, Paula's terrified of me, and I would feel bad asking Ana because she's so busy."

"Wow," Kumatora said. "So you do have a legitimate reason."

"Did you expect me not to?" Ness asked, letting a small smile crack through his normally reserved expression.

"…Maybe," she replied with a smirk.

"Well, I do have a head," Ness said, the smile creeping further onto his face. "And do use it to think."

Kumatora chuckled.

"Yeah, I tend to assume that everyone around me is an idiot for whatever reason," she said. "I guess that makes me the _real_ idiot. Anyways, Claus is probably in his room. I heard some banging in there a few minutes ago."

Ness' face paled.

"Oh, nothing _violent,_ " she said. "Just… loud. And scary."

"Thanks," Ness said dryly. "That really helps."

Kumatora laughed.

"Nah, I'm kidding," she said. "It sounded like he was forging something. Maybe you should check it out. That kid needs someone to connect to."

"Forging as in… blacksmithing?" Ness asked.

"Yup," Kumatora replied. "I guess it fits, since he came from _Vulcan._ "

Ness blinked, not understanding Kumatora's humorous grin.

"Ah, forget it," she said, her smile turning to a scowl. "But yeah, I think that he'll go with you to the funeral. He doesn't have anyone else."

Ness looked down at his feet. Why did some people like Claus just… not seem to fit with society?

"Aw, now I made you sad," she said. "I'm sorry."

"It's not really your fault," Ness replied, getting up. "Thanks for talking with me. It helps to joke around with someone every once in a while."

Kumatora saluted mockingly.

"I'm here for that whenever you need me!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks," Ness said. "And please don't salute like that."

"Whatever you say, captain!"

Ness shook his head, walking away. But even as he turned away from Kumatora, he couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Ness couldn't help but feel afraid as he walked up to Claus' door.

 _Claus wouldn't hurt me,_ Ness thought. _He fought the slaver in an attempt to free me…_

But Claus had worked with the empirists in the first place. Ness knew that Claus had his reasons, but that didn't make him any less afraid. If Claus were willing to help the empirists, would he flinch at doing something worse?

Ness shook his head. He couldn't worry about that now. He took a step towards Claus' door, hearing the banging that Kumatora talked about. It _did_ sound like Claus was forging a weapon.

 _Just do it,_ Ness told himself. _Nothing to be afraid of._

Ness rapped lightly on the door.

A pause.

"Who is it?" Claus asked from inside.

"I-It's Ness. May I come in?"

 _There,_ he told himself. _Easy._

But if it were so easy, why was his heart still pounding in his chest?

"Sure," Claus said. "Not that I know why you would want to."

Ness heard footsteps from inside the room. The door opened, revealing Claus' hard face. Ness still couldn't get used to the ginger's breastplate and eyepatch.

Ness stepped inside the room to find it surprisingly clean. Ness always kept his room tidy, but he hadn't expected Claus to.

 _You always kept your room clean?_ A voice in Ness' head questioned. _Are you so sure?_

Ness closed his eyes. A bedroom in disrepair. A lifeless television. Ghosts in the shadows.

Memories that Ness could not face.

Upon closer examination, Ness spotted a purple crystal the size of a fist sitting on a piece of cloth. Claus carried a hammer while an anvil lay in the middle of the room. Was he forging… the crystal?

"Basically the same room as yours," Claus said. "These people don't have an ounce of creativity between them. Their world is made of numbers rather than emotion."

"Who?" Ness asked.

"The teachers," Claus replied with a shrug. "Whoever designed this psyching school. But you probably didn't come here to listen to me complain."

"That crystal is beautiful," Ness said. "This is going to sound strange, but it almost feels like it's… whispering to me."

"Ah, they do that sometimes," Claus said. "I've learned to ignore them."

"Wait, what?" Ness asked, a sense of dread overtaking him. "Is that thing… alive?"

"Nah," Claus replied, walking over to the crystal. "It's a psicrystal."

"Like… an _actual_ psicrystal?" Ness asked. "You know, the ones that psions spend fortunes on?"

Psicrystals often made cameos in legends and children's stories. They usually indicated wealth (and snootiness) in an individual.

"Yep," Claus said. "They're actually pretty easy to make."

"But… they're so rare!" Ness exclaimed. The psicrystal shimmered in the light. Was it _creating_ light? The way that luminous rays danced around it, Ness wondered…

"There's a dirty little secret about these psicrystals," Claus said with a smirk. "They're only rare because the manufacturers intentionally create shortages. I learned how to forge these things on Vulcan. It's easier than making a weapon. I don't need even need to heat the crystal, which is why I can work in my room."

Ness blinked. Could something be valuable simply because one company decided not to create many of them? It seemed crazy. For something to be lucrative, shouldn't it _mean_ something?

"You seem surprised," Claus noted. "But it's how these rich people think. Something's only valuable to them because it's _different._ If mahogany and emeralds became common, do you think that people would still place the same value on them? Of course not. Being rich is about saying 'I have what you don't.' Once the rest of the world can get something, it loses value."

"That seems rather vain," Ness observed.

"It is," Claus said with a sigh. "And it always will be. That's how life works. We're all insecure. We all want _more._ So if we can prove to ourselves that we're better than the guy next door, it makes us feel good."

Ness shuffled his feet. Were people really so bad?

"But again, you probably didn't come in here to listen to me talk," Claus said. "Hm… oh, I know. Do you want the psicrystal? I have more of those things than I can count."

Ness' eyes widened.

"It's worth fortunes!" Ness exclaimed. "I can't possibly accept it."

"Suit yourself," Claus said. "But like I said, I have more of these than I know what to do with."

"Why do you make them?" Ness asked. He immediately felt ashamed. "I didn't meant to say that you _shouldn't_ make them; it's just that if you're not going to _do_ anything with them…"

"They remind me of my past," Claus said softly. "Life on Vulcan was horrible, but at least people _knew_ that it was horrible. I knew how to play the game. My employer said 'Listen, I'm going to work you until you die. In return, you'll get more food and a less polluted home than the rest of the workers.' He was evil, but he fessed up to it." Claus looked Ness in the eye, his irises conveying unexpected conviction. "I miss that simplicity. Here, nobody bothers to tell me the rules."

"…I'll take one of those psicrystals, if you're still willing to give me one," Ness said, unbidden memories rising from the murky depths of his mind. "I have a past on Vulcan too. I don't miss it, but if I can keep a part of it with me… maybe the pain will go away."

Claus smiled.

"All right," he said, picking up the crystal and tossing it to Ness. "And thanks. I never told anyone else that I do this, but for some reason I feel that I can trust you with my secrets. You actually _care._ In this day, that's rare, especially for someone like you with ties to Vulcan."

Ness blushed, holding the crystal in his hands. It felt silky yet smooth. Ness couldn't stop himself from brushing his fingers over it. He still couldn't quite believe that he was holding something worth fortunes, probably more than Ness' dad had made over the course of his entire life. And Claus said that he had more of these than he knew what to do with? Ness remembered years of frantically scribbled notes from his father and felt sad. His dad had worked so hard that he hardly ever got to see Ness and Tracy. And here Ness was, with something so valuable that he could probably live comfortably for the rest of his life if he sold it. It seemed like a cruel joke on the part of the universe.

"Heh, don't lose that," Claus said with a smirk. "It's only worth millions of… what do you Earth people use? Dollars?"

"Err… yeah," Ness answered.

"Yeah, this thing is only worth millions of dollars," Claus said with a wink.

"That doesn't make me feel any better about this!" Ness exclaimed.

"I'm just joking around," Claus said. "So… is there anything else that you want to talk to me about?"

Sudden nausea gripped Ness. He struggled to keep the smile on his face.

 _Just ask him to go with you to the funeral!_ Ness told himself.

But Ness was too weak.

 _Even if he says no, you're just back to square one. If you don't ask, then it's basically the same as him saying no._

Ness sighed.

"Would you mind coming to Pokey's funeral with me?" Ness asked. "It's today."

 _There,_ Ness thought. _I said it._

"Am I invited?" Claus asked, seeming surprised.

"Um… no," Ness answered sheepishly. "And, uh… I actually wasn't invited either."

A grin broke out onto Claus' face.

"And _I_ thought that you were the type to follow all of the rules," he said. "Sure, I'll go with you."

Ness blinked, not quite sure that he heard Claus right.

"Really?" he asked.

"Sure," Claus said. "I honestly have nothing better to do. Let's go crash a funeral!"

"We're not going to _crash_ it," Ness said sternly, his eyebrows forming into a scowl.

"Geez, you can get scary; do you know that?" Claus asked, taking a step back. "Okay, we'll _respectfully sneak_ into a funeral. Is that better?"

 _Why do I get the feeling that he's mocking me?_ Ness wondered.

"…"

"Hey, I was just teasing," Claus said, his expression softening. "I didn't mean to…"

"I'm fine," Ness said. "Let's change into some nicer clothes and then go."

Claus shook his head, chuckling ruefully.

"You remind me of someone I knew," he said. "All right, sounds like a plan."

 _Wow,_ Ness thought. _Even though Claus probably doesn't care about Pokey, he's willing to go to Pokey's funeral with me. He doesn't have anyone else to spend time with._

 _That's actually really sad._

* * *

"I can't believe that you convinced me to take off my breastplate," Claus muttered, clothed in fancy, yellow robes. "I feel naked."

"Nobody's going to try to kill you," Ness replied. He felt quite comfortable in his customary blue robes.

" _You_ don't know that," Claus grumbled.

"I'm pretty sure," Ness shot back.

 _It's been so long since I've had a normal conversation like this,_ Ness thought.

Such thoughts, of course, took him to his checkered past.

 _Two years. Two years of my life wasted. People say that we should do more than socialize, but even that is better than what I did: nothing at all._

Ness shivered. It still scared him how _mechanical_ he had been. Wake up. Eat. Watch television. Try not to think. Eat some more. Still don't think. Go to sleep. Repeat.

"So," Claus said. "Do you just plan to… walk onto the site?"

"Yeah, that's the plan," Ness replied, steeling himself as he approached the funeral.

People wearing fancy robes stood around a coffin, talking in polite, hushed voices.

"Careful bunch," Claus said. "I guess they don't want to say anything that could offend someone. This reminds me of home."

"Oh," Ness said. "That's… nice."

Claus snorted.

"Not really. I hate home. It makes me bitter."

"…"

"What's _that_ look supposed to mean?"

"Don't you feel nostalgia?" Ness asked.

"Never," Claus answered. "As much as I hate life now, I don't want to go back. I was so _stupid_ as a kid."

"Yeah…" Ness whispered. "I was too, but I still want to return to when I was younger. Do you think that there's something wrong with that?"

"Everyone's different," Claus answered. "And my situation is hardly standard. Pretty much anyone could judge you better than I can. Take Ninten and Ana. Both of them have eyes like hawks. Not much escapes them. They scare me."

"Ana scares you?" Ness asked. "I mean, I can see Ninten, but Ana?"

"I'm scared of anyone who can beat me," Claus replied with a shrug. "And something about Ana makes me think that she could _crush_ me if she wanted to."

" _Ana?_ " Ness repeated, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"She's confident but not cocky," Claus said. "It's obvious that she's genuinely competent. People usually brag because it makes them feel better about themselves. They don't concern me. But when someone is good enough that they don't need to boast to make themselves feel better… I tend to avoid messing with people like those. Ana probably won't try to harm me, but I haven't lived this long by trusting people."

"Excuse me," Ness heard from behind him. "I don't believe that I've seen you two before."

Ness turned around to face a plump woman. He tended to picture fat people as relaxed and passive, but this woman carried an air of confidence that challenged that stereotype. Her face seemed calm but stern. She looked vaguely familiar…

Then Ness noticed the child hanging onto her hand. He looked _exactly_ like a smaller version of Pokey. Memories flooded through Ness' mind. He could _see_ young Pokey right in front of him. He struggled to keep his face neutral.

Ness looked back at the woman. Her analytical eyes scanned him; her face seemed confused.

"Oh, sorry!" Ness exclaimed. "I… err…"

"There's nothing wrong," she said calmly, similar to how a mother would comfort her child. "I just want to know who you are."

"I'm Ness. I… knew Pokey from growing up in Onett."

"Ah," the woman said, her eyes flashing with understanding. "I'm Lardna. Nice to meet you, although I'm surprised that Aloysius would invite any of Pokey's friends…" Lardna's eyes narrowed. "Wait, he _didn't_ invite you, did he?"

 _How did she know?_ Ness asked, his inner systems telling him to fly into a panic.

"He didn't invite us," Claus said, his hard voice carrying more authority than a teenager should be able to. "Ness simply wants to say goodbye to Pokey. Maybe I am incorrect in this assumption, but it seems like nobody really cared about him, including his father."

Lardna's face turned sour.

"You're right," she said. "Aloysius is a snake of a man. He doesn't have room in his heart for love. I wish that I had seen that sooner…"

"You seem to really hate him," Ness said.

"Thanks, captain obvious," Claus whispered so that only Ness could hear. Ness had to resist the urge to shoot a glare back at Claus.

"Yes…" Lardna said. "I suppose that I just feel bad for Pokey. I wish that I could have been a better mother for him."

"You're his _mother?_ " Ness asked, and then immediately scolded himself. "Sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to offend you."

Lardna laughed.

"Now I _know_ that you're Eagleish," she said with a motherly smile. "You don't have to act so polite. It was my bad for not telling you earlier, after all."

Ness sighed in relief.

"Mom," the boy holding her hand whined. "How much longer do we have to stay here?"

"Not much longer, sweetie," Lardna replied. "We just have to say goodbye to your brother."

"He was always mean to me," the boy said, dropping his mother's hand. "Why do I have to come?"

"Because he's your brother," Lardna answered.

"I don't want to," the boy insisted.

"Hey," Ness said to the boy. "What's your name?"

The kid looked hesitantly up to his mother, who nodded.

"…Picky," he said.

"All right, Picky," Ness said. "I know that this might be hard to hear, but your dad was as mean to Pokey as he was to you. Pokey only acted mean because your dad taught him to. If you had to live with your dad for your entire life, you might be mean too."

Picky shied back.

"No," he said. "I'm not mean."

"You're not," Ness agreed. "But your father _made_ Pokey mean. I don't think that Pokey liked that. I don't think that you would have liked it either. Maybe you can say goodbye to him because of that."

Lardna nodded.

"Pokey wasn't right to do mean things to you, sweetie, but Ness is right," she said. "He struggled to overcome your dad's meanness. You know what that's like, don't you?"

Picky nodded.

"So do you think that you can say goodbye to your brother?"

Picky nodded again, more slowly this time. Lardna turned back to Ness, relief written plainly on her face.

"Thank you," she said. "I never quite knew how to explain that to him. It makes me feel bad as a parent that some random kid can come along and support my son better than I can."

"Don't feel bad," Ness said. "We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I have more weaknesses than most."

"Somehow, I don't think that you do," Lardna said. "Would you two like to come with us to say goodbye to Pokey? I can help protect you from my ex-husband. He tends to get quite… obsessive. I don't think that you want to rub him the wrong way without backup."

"Especially since he has control over our grades, huh?" Claus added with a smirk.

 _Don't remind me,_ Ness thought.

"Ah, yes," Lardna said. "It's sad that our society lets someone like him become a _teacher._ We old farts talk about poisoning the youth and everything that goes along with that paranoia, but men like _him_ are really the cause." She paused. "Or maybe I'm just angry that he scared me away from Pokey so long that I never got to see him before he died. Probably both."

"If only all adults were so self-aware," Claus said, shaking his head.

"If only all teenagers were so self-aware," Lardna replied. "I've rarely met people in your age group who truly care about others. Not that we adults do a much better job."

 _That's pretty harsh,_ Ness thought.

"Mom," Picky said. "Can we say goodbye to Pokey yet? I want to go home."

"Yes, of course," Lardna replied, her voice seeming to soothe Picky.

Ness felt a pang of nostalgia. He remembered how his mom talked in a way that made him feel truly loved. Here on Ceres, Ness felt alone. His wonderful friends weren't enough to bat away his homesickness.

"You two ready to go?" Lardna asked Ness and Claus.

"I am," Claus said.

"…I am too," Ness whispered.

After a short walk, Ness found himself standing in front of Pokey's coffin. So far, nobody had marked his arrival as a cause for concern.

"Here we are," Lardna whispered. "You ready to confront Aloysius? I hear that in Scaraba, they eat snakes. Maybe I should ship him over there."

Ness fidgeted, looking at the crowd of bodies surrounding Pokey's corpse. Looking at the imposing robes and extravagant dresses that everyone wore, Ness felt small in his simple clothing. He wished that he was as tall as Claus so that he wouldn't stand out as much.

Ness stepped up to the open coffin, glancing inside. Pokey lay peacefully inside, his hands obscuring the fatal wound in his chest. In that state, he almost looked like a child. Ness tried to force the nostalgia down.

 _I… just wanted to help him,_ Ness thought, remembering the shy boy that Pokey had been only a few years ago. _And I psyching failed!_

Tears blurred Ness' vision. He balled his hands into fists.

 _I FAILED!_

"None of this is your fault," he heard Claus say from behind him.

Ness sniffled, no longer caring about how much attention he drew.

"Do you ever see someone and want to make their life _right,_ Claus?" Ness whispered, anger corrupting his voice. "That's what happened between me and Pokey. I saw how much went wrong, but I cared about how much could have gone right. And now… this!"

"What is the meaning of this?" A man roared.

Ness stiffened. He recognized that voice.

"Aloysius Minch," Claus muttered. "Almost as bad of a father as mine."

Ness turned to see Aloysius barreling towards him with a look of rage pained almost cartoonishly on his face. Ness yelped, raising his arms up in a feeble attempt to defend himself.

Claus leapt in front of Ness, bending his knees and holding his arms out wide. He caught Aloysius' charge, grabbing onto the swordplay teacher's wrists.

"You!" Aloysius shouted at Ness. "You have no right to be here! This is _my_ son's funeral."

"Careful," Claus muttered. "Go too far and I might have to do something a little more… permanent. I must say that I've gotten out of the practice of _not_ killing things, so you may not want to press my patience."

Aloysius didn't even seem to notice Claus.

"Get out, murderer!" Pokey's father roared.

 _W-What?_ Ness thought, reeling back in horror.

"It's obvious," Aloysius said with a vicious smile. "The autopsy report said that my son was killed by psionics, and _you_ weren't seen during the night of the starman attack. I bet that you broke when Pokey showed a little bit of muscle and decided to _murder_ him!"

"That is enough," came a stern voice from behind Ness.

Aloysius stopped struggling. Claus released Pokey's father from his grip. Ness turned around to see Lardna Minch striding towards Aloysius with more confidence than Ness would have thought possible.

"You," Lardna said, pointing at Aloysius. "You should be _ashamed_ of yourself. You neglect your son for fifteen years on his life, and then you blame his death on this poor boy? The sad thing is, neither of those surprise me. You've always been the type to ruin, Aloysius."

Aloysius' face turned cherry-red.

"Stop talking to me, Lardna!" he shouted. "You know that I don't love you anymore."

Lardna flashed a sneer.

"So like you, Aloysius," she said. "You always assume that everything is about _you._ I don't give a damn if you love me or not. In fact, I prefer that you don't. What I _do_ care about is how you treated our son!"

Aloysius' jaw dropped.

"Yes," Lardna said. "I can talk confidently now. I wish that I could have said these words ten years ago, Aloysius! You're a pathetic excuse for a father. For that, I will never forgive you."

"Y-You…." Aloysius hissed, stuttering in rage. "What makes you think that you can talk back to me?"

"It never changes," Lardna said, shaking her head. "You don't _listen_ to me _._ You never have, and you probably never will. Now excuse me while I say goodbye to my son. Picky, dear, where are you?"

Picky reluctantly walked up to Lardna. He hid behind her, trembling as he looked at his father. Ness felt a pang of sympathy. Nobody should feel like they had to cower in fear of their own parent.

Lardna lead Picky up to Pokey's coffin.

"Goodbye," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"Goodbye," Picky repeated.

Ness vaguely became aware of the other people staring at him, Claus, and Lardna.

"Do you think that we disturbed them?" Ness whispered to Claus.

"Sure as psych," Claus replied with a snort. "What do you think would happen?"

Ness gazed into the mass of onlookers. Not one said a word.

 _I'm standing up in front of a crowd,_ Ness thought, _even though I didn't even realize it until now. I walked up and disrupted the whole funeral, and nobody except for the nutty teacher called me out for it._

Lardna took Picky's hand and walked away, favoring Ness with one last smile. Her eyes shone with gratefulness that warmed his heart. If only more people were so kind…

"Get out," Ness heard Aloysius say, his voice dangerously quiet.

He turned to look at the Pokey's father. Aloysius' air of confidence had disappeared, just like a teacher who had just lost control of a class.

 _He's desperate,_ Ness thought.

"All right," Ness replied, his voice calmer than even he had expected. "I just wanted to say goodbye as well."

With that, Ness turned around and walked away. He heard people whisper. He heard Claus' footsteps pound on the ground as he tried to catch up with Ness. He heard Aloysius shouting obscenities at him.

He didn't look back once.


	28. Chapter 22: Power Shift

**Hey, everyone! :) I'm messing around the the next few chapters a bit, so it might take me a while to get ch. 23 out... Or maybe not. We'll see. *shrugs* Anyways, there's yet another new OC in this chapter, but this one is actually kind of important.**

 **Well, onto Review Responses:**

 **DarkFoxKit:** Yeah, most of the character interaction kind of comes out on its own. I'm totally the same way with wild people. xD Yeah, Lardna's character has been in my head for a while, although I don't think that she'll ever appear again. Thanks! :)

 **Adricarra:** Yeah, I tend to avoid disapproval as well. It's one of the strongest personality traits that I share with Ness. But yeah, I always make up some excuse for why I _could_ be wrong, and then I don't want to say any more to avoid looking like an idiot... which I think might be similar to you wondering if you misinterpreted the language. And yeah, the psicrystal thing is greedy, but people do it on Earth all of the time. Take diamonds. They're actually pretty common; it's just that one company has control of most of the world's diamonds and makes it _seem_ like they're rare. Thanks! :)

 **Guest:** Well, we still got plenty left... and then two more stories after this. :) Oh yeah, it took me _forever_ to remember how to spell Pokey's dad's name. And I still don't even really know how to spell it; I just have the muscle memory of typing it so much that I know which keys to press. Sadly, a lot of the Lucas stuff is getting relegated to the beginning of story 2. :(

 **guest:** Yeah, that's how I feel about a lot of people irl. If only they had been raised better... but then again, their actions are still their own, so I don't know how to feel. :( Loid and Pippi will not appear soon, and since I have so many characters I'm considering cutting out Loid altogether...

 **PSIboy:** Yeah, Ness does worry about others judging him... but then again, he's a teenager. Most of us do that. :) I don't know what survivor's guilt feels like either, but I try my best to imagine it...

* * *

 _Today, I met Claus._

 _He's Lucas brother, but the two have little in common besides looks. While Lucas cares about nothing, Claus cares about everything. It seemed like he was ready to jump down my throat every time I took a breath._

 _The way that he speaks… I didn't know that a voice could be so harsh. Seeing Claus try to guilt his own brother into living in the woods with him opens my eyes. Lucas tried to resist his brother's arguments, but Claus would always find some way to turn Lucas' words against him._

 _It pains me to see Lucas struggling to fend off his brother's attacks. Whoever says that words don't hurt has never seen these two talk._

 _I hope that Lucas doesn't take Claus' words to heart… but then again, how couldn't he? I want to do something. I want to hurt Claus. I want to help Lucas._

 _But I don't know where to start._

* * *

Jeff scoured the cafeteria for a place to sit (why were all of the good seats always taken?). Eventually, he spotted Ana sitting by herself. She waved him over.

"Hey, Jeff," she said. "Nice day today, isn't it?"

Jeff sat down, taking in the savory scent of the Dalaamian soup in front of Ana. His stomach growled.

"I suppose it is," Jeff replied.

"The big school dance is coming up," Ana said, her eyes twinkling. "Are you planning to ask anyone to it?"

To be honest, Jeff hadn't even considered that option.

"Uh… I don't _think_ so," he answered with a weak shrug.

Ana laughed.

"It's an option, you know," she said.

 _Is she… hinting that I should ask her?_ Jeff thought.

Clearly having read his expression, Ana said, "I didn't mean me. Sorry… although that's an option as well."

"Err… would you say yes if I asked you to the dance?" Jeff said.

"Well, you have to ask before I tell you," Ana replied, her eyes twinkling. "That's how it works."

"Uh, okay…" Jeff replied, not knowing what else to say.

"You look so awkward!" Ana exclaimed with a good-natured grin. "Is this your first time in this situation?"

"Yeah," Jeff admitted.

"Well, you have plenty of time to ask me if you want to," Ana said. "And plenty of time to find someone else if you don't."

"Actually…" Jeff said, trying not to blush. "I'm not planning on going at all. I suck at dancing and I don't like social gatherings."

"That sounds _exactly_ like something that Ninten would say," she replied with a sigh.

"Sorry," Jeff said, shrugging.

"Ah, don't apologize," Ana said. "I'm not being serious. I understand why you wouldn't want to go to a dance. Different people enjoy different things."

"Thanks," Jeff said, sighing in relief.

Ana shot him a curious glance.

"You didn't think that I would _actually_ make fun of you for being antisocial, did you?" she asked.

 _Um… yes._

"No!" Jeff exclaimed. "Of course not!"

Ana shot him a flat look.

"You really shouldn't lie," she said. "Not because it's wrong, but because you frankly can't pull it off."

Jeff shrugged. His stomach growled again.

"Ah, we should probably eat," Ana said. "I wouldn't want your poor stomach to suffer for any longer."

Jeff nodded, not sure if she was mocking him or not. After seeing her sip on her soup, he proceeded to scarf down his meal of stringy chicken, seasoned artichoke hearts, and mashed potatoes.

"Your meal is basically the most Eagleish thing there is," Ana said between sips.

"Oh, aren't you special for eating exotic food?" Jeff asked, rolling his eyes.

"I didn't mean that," Ana said with a laugh. "But in America, we picture you Eagleish as eating stuff like that. Stereotypes are funny when they come true."

"I guess we have stereotypes about America in Eagleland as well," Jeff said. "Do Americans really eat that much corn?"

Ana's eyes lit up.

"Yes," she said. "It gets so old. Tortilla chips are as cheap as dirt, so we don't eat much else in terms of starch. I mean, we get some wheat and potatoes, but the amount of corn that we consume is ridiculous."

"Huh," Jeff said. "That reminds me… Have you noticed how everyone on Ceres seems to eat duck meat?"

"Totally!" she exclaimed. "I lived here for a couple years before going to school, and that always struck me as strange. I guess every culture does stuff that seems weird to the outside world."

"Such as breeding people with pink hair, perhaps?" came a voice from behind them.

Jeff turned around to see Kumatora holding a tower of steak cubes piled onto a small plate.

"Oh, not you with the steak too!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Chill," Ana said. "It's not breakfast, so it's not _quite_ as bad."

"What?" Kumatora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ninten eats a lot of steak," Ana explained. "And Jeff doesn't approve of it."

"Ninten has good taste," Kumatora said, plopping down next to Jeff and tossing a cube up in the air. She leaned her head back and caught it in her mouth. "Man, what an applicable skill that is. I don't know where I would be today if I couldn't catch food in my mouth."

"Hey, thoroughly useless skills are the best skills!" Ana said. "After all, isn't that the entire basis behind art?"

"Ooh," Kumatora said, her overdramatic voice drawing glares from nearby tables. "Shots fired."

"It's true," Ana replied with a comfortable smile. "From an evolutionary perspective, art is a way to exercise the brain when it doesn't need to do anything else. Quirky talents like yours fill the same role."

"So is catching food in one's mouth an art?" Kumatora asked.

"You could make that argument," Ana answered.

"Not a good one," Jeff muttered.

"Hey, I can make a bad argument work," Kumatora said. "Just watch me!"

"I will," Jeff said. "I'll watch you fail."

"Nah. If things don't go my way, I can always bring up meaningless discussion topics to make it seem like I'm in control."

"That's a skill as well," Ana piped in. "And it's a good one if you want to go into politics."

"Okay," Kumatora said, pointing at Ana. " _That_ was shots fired."

"Those were shots fired," Ana corrected offhandedly.

"We got a grammar pigmask here," Kumatora muttered.

 _Pigmask?_ Jeff thought. _Weren't they a fascist group on Aphrodite?_

"Hey, Jeff," Kumatora said, her face lighting up. "How much homework do you have today?"

"None," Jeff replied. "I finished it all yesterday."

Kumatora blinked.

"But you don't have classes today," she said. "You didn't _need_ to finish it yesterday."

"I did anyways," Jeff said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But _why?_ " Kumatora asked. "To procrastinate is human."

"I did most of my work yesterday as well," Ana said, giving Jeff a high-five.

Kumatora scowled.

"It feels like I'm dealing with some sort of nerd cult," she said. "But I guess it doesn't really matter. I talked with Tony this morning, and he's busy catching up on work like a normal human being. Still, I want to look at the crashed spaceship today. Life's been so hectic that this is the first chance that's popped up. Tony said that you would be willing to come with me and check it out."

Jeff sighed inwardly. He loved Tony's charisma, but he didn't appreciate how Tony threw him in these situations. Just because Tony had hours to waste goofing off didn't mean that everyone else did.

"You don't seem happy about that," Kumatora noted. "Don't feel like you have to come. I can always go with Tony later."

"We can go," Jeff said. "I just wish that Tony would _ask_ before he offered for me."

Kumatora shrugged.

"He knows you pretty well. I think that he figured that you would be fine checking the ship out with me."

 _I guess…_ Jeff thought. _I just hate it when something screws with my plans, even when it could be fun._

"You're not offering for me to come?" Ana asked in shock that was almost certainly fake. Almost. With Ana's acting, Jeff could never tell for certain.

" _Do_ you want to come?" Kumatora asked.

"Nah," Ana said, dropping her aghast look and letting an easy smile form on her face. "I mean, I _would_ like to come, but I'm busy. You two have fun, all right?"

Kumatora snorted.

"We're looking at a spaceship," she said flatly. "It's not going to be fun."

"…I think that it could be fun," Jeff said.

Kumatora rolled her eyes.

"You're such a nerd," she said. "You two are both nerds. If I stay around you too long, I might get afflicted with your nerdiness and develop a rational mind. That would be _horrible._ "

"Mm hmm," Ana said through a mouthful of soup. "I know how you feel."

"Yep," Kumatora said. "Life is hard. You ready to go, Jeff?"

"Sure… wait, you ate all of your steak already?"

Jeff blinked, a small part of his mind expecting reality to bend around him and show a pyramid of steak cubes on Kumatora's empty plate.

"I eat quickly," she said. "Meaning that I don't take tiny little bites like _her._ " Kumatora pointed to Ana.

"How _does_ it feel to stuff your face with food like a squirrel?" Ana shot back. "How far can you stretch your cheek skin before you can't pile more food in? I've always wondered, Ms. speed eating expert."

Kumatora puffed her cheeks out.

"That's how far they can stretch," she said with a victorious smile.

"Noted," Ana said dryly. "How about your jaw? You have to chew an entire mouthful of meat at once. Does your jaw get sore?"

"Uh, I know that this conversation is super cool and all," Jeff said, "But can we go?"

"Sure," Kumatora answered, "So long as Ana admits that _I'm_ the winner."

"Of what?" Ana asked. "I was just curious and wanted more information from an _expert_ like you."

Kumatora shot Ana a flat look.

"You two should probably go," Ana said, dropping her competitive pose and slouching back in her chair, "So that poor Jeff here doesn't have to listen to any more of our idiocy. Can you agree to that?"

"Yeah," Kumatora said. To Jeff, "Sorry about that. It's better than talking about clothes or shit, right? Eh, maybe not. Let's head out!"

"Yes," Jeff said, sighing inwardly. "Let's."

* * *

Jeff squinted, trying to make out features inside the dark spaceship. The vessel reeked of a scent that smelled disturbingly similar to charred meat.

"Sure is cramped in here, huh?" Kumatora asked, squeezing next to Jeff. "More of a pod than a ship, honestly."

It sure _looked_ like a pod. On the outside, Jeff had found only a few rockets. None of them appeared powerful enough to break a planet's gravitational pull.

"Ah, psych it," Kumatora muttered. "My light."

Kumatora's eyes lit up like flashlights, creating beams of light that pointed at features in the ship. Jeff spotted a chair, a small control panel, broken wires hanging from the ceiling, and… blood on the floor.

"Damn," Kumatora said, the beams of light widening and illuminating most of the ship's interior. "This is one dreary place."

Jeff nodded. The whole scene reminded him of television shows back in Eagleland. In those shows, blood and broken wires usually indicated that something destructive had passed by. The charred scent only added to that notion. Even though it was irrational, Jeff couldn't help but feel that he was standing amidst a titan's wreckage.

"Do you remember anything about crashing?" Jeff asked.

"Nope," Kumatora said. "I can't believe that I lived in here for _months_. But then again, I was in a coma or something like that."

"Wait," Jeff said. "Those broken wires. They're attached to something."

He walked further into the ship, hunching as he picked up a helmet. It felt smooth like a pearl but was dense enough that Jeff didn't know if a sledgehammer could crack it. The helmet was attached to a few wires and had holes for several more. Jeff looked at the wires hanging from the ceiling and mentally put the pieces together.

"This helmet..." he said. "It's supposed to be attached to all of the wires. And then you put it on?"

"That's generally what you do with helmets," Kumatora said.

"I'm just thinking to myself," Jeff said. "Don't mind me."

Kumatora shrugged, picking up a black spacesuit off of the ground. It was missing headgear, presumably going with the helmet that Jeff held. Kumatora looked inside.

"Dried blood," she said. "Lots of it. More than should really be there."

"Did you get into that thing when you flew the ship?" Jeff asked, pointing to the suit. "You were bleeding pretty badly when we found you. The starmen probably injured you inside of that suit."

Kumatora's face paled.

"Sorry!" Jeff exclaimed. "I didn't mean to…"

"Not that," Kumatora whispered.

She took a deep breath, and then exhaled shakily. She stumbled outside of the spaceship, nearly tripping.

 _What?_ Jeff thought, following her outside.

He squinted at the sunlight (well, technically starlight, as the star that Ceres orbited wasn't the sun). He reflexively tried to blink it out, but of course that didn't work.

 _How long was I inside of that dingy ship?_ he wondered, wishing that his pupils would adjust to the light more quickly.

Well, he hadn't missed the stuffy, stringent air in the vessel. Jeff resisted the urge to take a deep breath of fresh air. He had to help Kumatora. He walked over to her, nearly tiptoeing.

"Don't be scared," Kumatora said, her breaths still shaky. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I was just worried that I might disturb you," Jeff said.

Kumatora offered a weak smile.

"Something came back to me in that ship," she said. "I remember running away in panic. I think that I was on some sort of larger spaceship… Psych, I don't know. I don't remember the fear itself, but I remember that I was afraid. Does that make sense at all? I think that if the people chasing me would have caught me, they would have killed me… or worse."

A chill ran down Jeff's spine. What would that be like to experience that kind of panic? The most frightened Jeff had ever been was when he had gotten lost in Winters, and that hadn't even been serious!

"Who were you running from?" Jeff asked.

Kumatora shut her eyes and adopted an intense expression.

"I… don't know," she said after a pause. "That scares me. What if those people are still after me?"

"They most certainly are," A voice behind Jeff spoke. "In this universe, nothing is forgotten."

Jeff turned around, coming face to face with a cloaked woman. She pulled down her hood, revealing a circular face with discerning black eyes. How long had she been listening?

"Who the psych are _you_?" Kumatora asked, her eyes narrowing. "And what do you want with us?"

The woman smiled.

"Truly, your story is incredible," she said. "Escaping and then somehow going _through_ the barrier around Ceres… that shouldn't be possible. Yet you did it. Do you understand how special that makes you?"

"I don't need your psyching praise," Kumatora said, her words laced with distrust. "For the second time, who are you?"

The woman sighed.

"My name… is Morgan." Turning to Jeff, "And how about you? Jeff, is it not?"

Jeff took a step back.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"Every crystal of information is available if you know where to look," Morgan answered. "How is it, living on Ceres?"

 _Why do you care?_ Jeff wanted to ask. Honestly, who went up and asked people what they thought about life without an apparent reason? Even though he didn't know many people who had been raised on Ceres, he couldn't imagine that this was a cultural norm.

"It's… fine," Jeff answered.

Morgan smiled, her eyes widening. Her face seemed inviting yet somehow cold.

"I'm glad that you think so," she said. "But you do wonder, perhaps, why nobody else seems to agree?"

"Yes," Jeff answered, realizing only then how much he cared. "At first I thought that people didn't like school, but it's more than that, isn't it?"

"Perceptive," Morgan said.

 _Err… not really,_ Jeff thought.

"This place is psyched up," Kumatora said. "I don't know why, but I can feel it. The way that people walk. The way that people talk. Something else is going on here."

"Ceres does contain quite a few secrets," Morgan said. "And most of them aren't happy, bubbly ones."

 _Ceres will be dashed with the blood of secrets…_ Jeff remembered Ninten speaking those words and shivered.

"So, what's going on here?" Jeff asked.

"Well, I cannot spill every secret that keeps this planet running," Morgan said with a smile that seemed both warm and cold. "But historically, Ceres produced some nauseating practices. Psionic engineers designed devices to torture the mind-"

"Wait, what?" Jeff asked, blood draining from his face. "Psionic engineers…"

"Ah, yes," Morgan said. "You're planning on becoming one, aren't you? Psigeneers created some pretty nasty tools in the past, which is why many spit on the profession."

"But that doesn't happen _today,_ does it?" Jeff asked.

"It still does."

 _No way…_

"Well I won't get involved with that!" Jeff exclaimed.

"I sincerely hope that you don't," Morgan said. "But that's not the extent of what Ceres has to offer. Rather, torture devices hardly scratch the surface. At least we use those on the _bad guys,_ right?"

"Just spit it out," Kumatora said. "Or leave. I don't trust you. Why the psych would you come up and just tell us this stuff? What do you want from us?"

"I want for you to see the truth," Morgan answered. " _Your_ truth, Kumatora."

 _Does… she mean that she knows Kumatora's past?_ Jeff thought. _Who is this person, really?_

"Then tell me," Kumatora said impatiently. "Just don't expect me to thank you."

If Morgan was offended by Kumatora's words, she didn't show it.

"But what would be the fun in telling you?" Morgan asked. "Wouldn't you prefer to figure it out for yourself?"

"No."

"I agree with Kumatora," Jeff said. "Why not just tell us?"

"Because I want you to see it for yourselves," Morgan answered. "Then, you'll understand what I mean by Ceres' secrets."

"Why do you want us to understand?" Jeff asked. "Not to be rude, but… what's in it for you?"

Morgan sighed.

"Once you understand, you'll know that Ceres needs to be changed. Power needs to shift."

"You want to recruit us," Kumatora said flatly.

"Yes," Morgan said.

"You're an empirist," Jeff said.

"Yes," Morgan repeated.

Jeff gritted his teeth.

"You people are disgusting," he said.

"Careful with your accusations," Morgan said. "Especially when you don't know what we do, hmm?"

"Then tell us!" Jeff yelled. "Why do you want to kill innocent people?"

"We don't want to kill anyone," Morgan said. "The casualties during the starmen attack were an… unfortunate mistake."

"It's psyching more than that!" Kumatora jumped in. "Have you seen the hospitals? Have you seen the bodies?"

"Yes," Morgan answered, the corners of her mouth twitching upward as she stared at Kumatora with iron eyes. "Yes, I have."

"Then do something about it!" Kumatora yelled. "If you don't want to kill anyone, _fix the psyching system._ "

"I was about to do that anyway," Morgan said, favoring Kumatora and Jeff with one last smile as she turned around. "It was nice meeting both of you. I guess that I can check that off of my list… Teleport!"

 _Wait…_ Jeff thought as Morgan vanished from sight. _She's a psion?_

* * *

"Teleport!"

Diana Carpainter identified the person warping away: Morgan Lorune, an avid empirist and Emperor George's granddaughter.

But while Diana could identify Morgan's identity, she couldn't determine the empirist's motives.

Fix the system? To do that, she would have to teleport to the heart of the empirist movement: Vulcan. But she couldn't do that. Nobody could teleport from Ceres to Vulcan except with a dimension door (which only Diana and Minerva knew how to use). Osohe psychotechnology blocked out all forms of teleportation inside or outside of the barrier.

Diana would have to investigate further.

As soon as Jeff and Kumatora left, Diana turned on her PSI vision and walked up to the place where Morgan had teleported away. Whenever someone teleported, they had to think about where they wanted to go, and Diana could pick up on those thoughts. After a minute of sifting through thoughts, Diana found a thought that pictured the inside of a cave. Psionic crystals shone on either side of the walls like torches. It was clear from the thought that Morgan intended to teleport there. And if she intended to… well, she probably did.

Diana sighed. As a general rule, she didn't like teleporting to random places, but she wanted to know what Morgan was up to.

"Teleport," Diana muttered, mentally bracing herself.

The world shifted around her. Diana appeared in the cave displayed in Morgan's thoughts. The dank air hit Diana with the force of a shove. Memories flooded to her mind, none of them happy.

Weariness.

Pain.

Death.

 _This isn't a mining cave on Vulcan,_ Diana told herself. _They wouldn't use psionic crystals to light up something so mundane. Nobody's going to die here._

But even as Diana rushed to reassure herself, she couldn't help but panic. Ambient noises sounded from deeper into the cave (or from the path out of the cave, for all Diana knew).

 _I won't let a geological structure beat me!_ Diana shouted inside of her head.

She followed Morgan's trail of thoughts with her PSI vision, trying to focus on where she was _going_ rather than where she _was_. After a few minutes, she arrived at a translucent purple barrier that blocked her path, humming lightly. A steel door stood in the middle of the barrier, presumably providing the only way through. Diana looked at the purple wall quizzically. It almost looked like the dome above Ceres…

Then it clicked.

This was the bottom "floor" of the dome, so to speak. The dome didn't end when it touched ground. Rather, it cut through the ground of Ceres, forming a hemisphere with the circular face hidden under the ground. The dome above Ceres prevented psions from teleporting up and away, but the part of the barrier embedded in the ground prevented psions from teleporting _down_ and away.

Meaning that once someone passed through that door, they were outside of the barrier and could therefore teleport to Vulcan.

 _Damn,_ Diana thought. _That's actually really clever._

Too bad that Diana could take advantage of that cleverness.

She walked up to the door, once again sifting through Morgan's thoughts. She found that to open the door, she had to say a password. After a few more minutes of searching, Diana found the password itself.

"Golden throne," she said.

The door opened by itself. Diana walked through and the door shut behind her. She read Morgan's leftover thoughts once again. Morgan had teleported into a house on Vulcan.

 _Scary,_ Diana thought. _Using this tunnel, someone could teleport a small army in and attack Ceres. They could even smuggle in weapons, drugs…_

 _Or a device that can shut down the Gate._

Diana blinked. In Minerva's assuredness that nobody could invade Ceres from the outside, she had left her defenses weak. The empirists took advantage of that complacency and struck where it hurt.

Shaking her head in regret, Diana teleported after Morgan Lorune.

* * *

Diana coughed, her lungs moaning about the toxic fumes that she had just inhaled. Even from inside of the house in which she stood, the city reeked of smoke and oil. Diana had _not_ missed this about Vulcan.

She took a look at her surroundings. Pictures hung on the walls, a rarity on Vulcan. They depicted people that looked like Morgan. Relatives, perhaps? Tables and chairs were made of oak, another oddity. Diana guessed that Morgan lived here at least some of the time.

"I was afraid that you would follow me, Ms. Carpainter."

Morgan stepped into the room where Diana stood, adopting a cold smile.

"It's nice to see you here, Diana," Morgan said. "I was expecting you. Hoping that you wouldn't come, yes, but also _expecting_ you. After all, you're the type to follow a trail blindly, with no indication of where you'll end up. Just when did you catch my scent, huntress?"

"You talk like you know me," Diana said.

"But don't I?" Morgan asked, her eyes lighting up with amusement. "After all, your father had quite the speech about you."

"Thanks for killing him," Diana said.

"I didn't do it for you," Morgan replied.

"I know," Diana said. "Thanks anyway."

Diana still didn't know _how_ Morgan had managed to kill Apollo Carpainter. Diana's father far outmatched Morgan in terms of psionic skill.

"Always a pleasure to rid the universe of someone who feeds people lies," Morgan said with a snort. "It makes me feel bad for you, honestly. How did it feel to realize that your whole life was a lie, Ms. Carpainter?"

Diana gritted her teeth.

"I cannot imagine anything worse," she said, "Although I'm sure that something worse exists out there. What I felt… it was worse than pain. It was worse than agony. I don't know how to describe it."

"Even though my life has never been remotely difficult, I understand what you mean," Morgan said, "It feels like… you're waking up to a world of _real_ stresses, doesn't it? You want to go back to your dream, but you know that you _can't_ and you _shouldn't._ You're scared at how heavy the world is, but you're more scared that it took you so long to notice it."

Diana nodded, trying to bat away the mixed emotions that raged in her heart.

"When did you discover your father's secret?" Morgan asked, her eyes shining with curiosity. "I found out when I killed him. Quite a shock, no? But… it was funny, in a way. Hypocritical."

Diana gritted her teeth. Why did Morgan have to talk about _that?_

"You know that I can kill you if I want to, right?" Diana asked, irritation seeping through.

"I know that I can read people," Morgan answered. "And you're not a murderer. Not anymore."

 _Don't be so sure of that,_ Diana thought.

"Me, on the other hand…" Morgan walked into another room. She came back dragging a man.

Diana gasped. That hard face… that stringy, grey hair… those wrinkles…

"Coran Lorune," Diana said in wonder.

Coran was the leader of the empirists, and he had a reputation of being vicious. Since he was a powerful psion, few questioned his authority.

He also happened to be Emperor George's son and Morgan's uncle.

"What happened to him?" Diana asked

 _What_ could _happen to him?_ she thought. _That man has almost godlike psionic powers._

"Turn on your PSI vision, Ms. Carpainter," Morgan said. "See what's going on in his head."

Diana complied with the request. She saw… nothing. He wasn't thinking at all. That could only mean one thing.

"You… killed him," Diana said shakily. "How? How could you _possibly_ kill someone so strong?"

"We are different from the rest of them, Diana," Morgan said, walking over to a vase and inspecting a wilted rose. "They think that psionics translates to power: that the stronger psionics someone has, the more powerful he or she is. They're wrong. We take their strength and turn it against them. That is true power."

"What do you mean?" Diana asked. "And what does that have to do with how you killed Coran?"

"Can't you figure it out for yourself?" Morgan replied, adopting the tone of a teacher. "After all, you did manage to kill the slaver… Alsom Garrickson, wasn't it?"

 _How does she know about that?_ Diana thought.

"Did you surprise him?" Diana asked. "That's how I killed Garrickson."

"If that's all you can come up with," Morgan said flatly, "Then maybe you aren't any different from the rest."

Diana wanted to lash out, but she kept her temper under control. What else had she used to defeat the slaver?

"You toyed with Coran's expectations," Diana realized out loud. "He expected the threat to be somewhere else; he was _sure_ that the threat would be somewhere else. Then you killed him while his psionic aura was focused elsewhere."

"Bravo," Morgan said, brushing her fingers along the petals of the rose. "In my case, he was certain that there was no threat at all. I set up a psionic trap that would kill anyone who entered my house, and then I hypnotized myself into forgetting about it. So when I invited him over, I opened my mind and let him read it. He found no lies or planned traps in my thoughts because I believed that I was being sincere. I didn't _know_ about the trap, not after I had erased it from my memory. Don't you get it, Diana? While others see beauty, we see tools. You're willing to use a priceless weapon as a distraction. I'm willing to use my _mind_ as a distraction."

Diana tried not to show her horror. Just how far would Morgan go to accomplish what she wanted? Sure, fancy tools were just tools… but were _minds_ really tools as well?

"I assume that you had a plan to ensure that you wouldn't accidentally trigger the trap yourself once you forgot about it?" Diana asked, keeping her face neutral.

"That was the hardest part," Morgan said with a smile.

"Why did you kill him?" Diana asked. "Were you sincere about wanting him gone on a moral level?"

"Yes," Morgan answered. "My father and I will end the lies, Diana. People will know about Vulcan. People will know about the _true_ Ceres. Don't you want to join us?"

 _Yes._

"What I want doesn't matter," Diana said.

"Oh, but it does," Morgan said. She waved a hand, and the rose in the vase looked fresh instead of lifeless. "Follow your passion, Diana. You'll be able to prop up your wilted heart and return to your former strength, except _this time_ you'll fight for good rather than evil."

Diana gritted her teeth.

"You know who Minerva truly is," Morgan said, picking the rose out of the vase and holding it out, presumably offering it to Diana. "Don't you want to see her gone?"

"…"

"Just think about it, Diana. For now, you may want to go back to Ceres. You probably don't want to stick around for much longer."

"Why?" Diana asked. "What's going to happen?"

Morgan flashed an ominous smile.

"Utter chaos," she said.


	29. Chapter 23: Declaration of War

**Hey, everyone! A new chapter here to distract you until Phoesong's rolls around tomorrow.**

 **Anyways, this chapter's plot seemed a little rushed... but maybe it's just me. I've read a series where the last three books are over a million words long and it still felt rushed. *shrugs***

 **So yeah, I hope that you're having a good Friday (I'm just trying not to think about common app haha). I'm not sure if I'll get this whole story out by the end of this month, but gosh darn it I'm going to try! Regardless, the chapters are going to get a bit longer because I have to pack a lot of stuff in. Happens when there are a dozen important characters.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **crabbyTomato:** Hey, I love long reviews! :D Yeah, I always write ahead a few chapters since I don't want to remember what happens when I edit the chapter so that I can catch things that made sense in my mind but not on paper. I don't know if I'd call it "dedication." More like "releasing chapters way later than I write them." I find it hilarious how you quoted one of my characters as an excuse. xD But seriously, don't feel like you have to get every chapter (look at me; I totally forgot to read ch. 7 of Lucas of Tazmily :x). Yeah, the whole psicrystal thing was inspired by diamond mining. But this way, I can also add crappy symbolism about Ness accepting his past on Vulcan! :D

Ah, thanks!:) Many of my characters' personalities tend to come out when I write them, but I kinda had Lardna's planned all out. It's a pity that she's probably not going to appear again. xD And yeah, she was super annoying in the game. ._. As for Pokey's murder, it's kinda going to get overshadowed for a while... you'll see this chapter. :) Yeah, I'm basing a lot of Eagleish stereotypes off of Britan (Eagleland even sounds like England). And remember, the industrial revolution didn't happen in this timeline. America is still pretty rural and fast food isn't even a thing yet.

Ah, Morgan. :) I kinda came up with her randomly and decided to insert her character. At first, I was planning to have Ninten's grandfather (the dude that Morgan killed) be the main empirist, but I came up with far better ones so I killed him off. It worked out better than I expected haha (at least so far). I know... that dialogue in frozen time thing is one of my specialties, and a lot of readers hate it. It just feels natural for me, though. And the narrative breaks are intentionally abrupt. I was aiming for an effect where it feels like the reader is constantly jumping back and forth between the conversation and viewing the people talking because we do both all the time irl. I'll definitely look at it, though. Thanks for the heads up! :)

 **A Fan:** GAH how did I miss that!? DX Again, we cool. :) And Jeff's based heavily off of me (he's the most similar to me right now out of any of my charcters which explains why he's so boring haha), and I share that view as well... kinda. I'm trying to open up a bit. xD

 **Guest:** Thanks! :) Yeah, sometimes it's nice to write something lightheared like that argument. It's kinda hard to justify putting a lot of those in since they're kinda filler, sadly. :(

 **DarkFoxKit:** I'm glad that you find the moral ambiguity of this story interesting. :) Thanks!

 **PSIBoy:** I mean, Kuma's kinda comic relief, but that's not supposed to be her purpose. *shrugs* I'm glad that you liked the middle part! I needed to get that out there at some point, and it's sometimes hard to do that in a show don't tell way. Introducing Morgan's character was also pretty hard (I made Kumatora's reaction what I think that the reader's would be to make the whole scene seem normal). And I don't think that the battles will be quite what you expect... let's just say that with psychic technology, war doesn't really work the same way that it does here. And this chapter may set the scene for what's going to happen with the empirists (kinda... more on them next chapter). :)

* * *

 _Memories surface from the depths of my mind. Memories of a time… before._

 _I stand on a golden tower that breaches the clouds. Looking down, I can see buildings of stained glass and streets paved with silver. People fly lazily through the sky, making small talk. It seems like flying is more standard than walking in this fantasy world of mine._

 _Surely, these memories aren't real, right? I didn't exist before my time with the magypsies._

 _But if that's the case, then how was I born?_

 _Am I… even human?_

* * *

Megan Aniah couldn't remember the last time that she had felt truly powerless. But here, fists clenched and teeth on edge, she could hardly keep herself from lashing out like a caged animal.

"Minerva," she said, trying to keep her tone neutral. "You can't do this."

"I can and I will," Minerva answered in her normal, silky voice.

The president walked forward and eventually sighed, releasing her tight posture. Megan walked forward along with her, stepping up to a window made of purple glass. Through it, she could see a panoramic view of the city, buildings appearing as stakes in the ground and people appearing as specks in the distance. Specks. Was that all that Minerva saw her people as?

"Do you think that I want to do this, Megan?" Minerva asked. "Do you think that I _like_ lying?"

"I think that you're callous," Megan hissed. "The Minerva that I knew-"

"Stop," Minerva said, the steel authority in her voice surprising Megan. "I hate it when people say that. You have a fixed view of who I am, Megan. I don't think that _you're_ the same person as when we met. Just because I am different doesn't mean that I am wrong."

Megan grinded her teeth. Why couldn't Minerva _see_ how she was going against all of their creeds?

"You don't understand, Megan," Minerva said, turning around and looking at her with alarmingly calm eyes. "Good people come into this job. Few leave that way. Conforming to my own ideas of morality doesn't help people. _This_ will."

"Please…" Megan said, prepared to get on her knees and beg. "We vowed to be different from them!"

"I broke my promise," Minerva whispered, clenching her hands. "I broke it a long time ago."

"Minerva…"

"Don't talk to me with that pity of yours!" Minerva snapped. "Think about it, Megan. What's more important, keeping one fucking promise or bringing happiness to millions of people?"

"You don't have to lie to them," Megan said. "There's another way."

"Which is?" Minerva asked, her voice issuing a challenge.

 _I shouldn't have to say this._

"Tell the truth," Megan said. "I know that it's hard, but they deserve to know."

"So sanctimonious," Minerva said, waving her hand in dismissal. "The truth doesn't help people. You've seen how it can fuck people up, Megan. This way is easier."

"I'm not saying that lying is inherently evil," Megan conceded, resisting the urge to fight back. "However, I don't think that you can dispute the moral wrongness of deceiving millions of innocent people."

"Were you even listening?" Minerva asked, her voice growing harsh. "I know that I'm not a good person. Sometimes, the right thing to do isn't even ethical, contradictory as that may seem. If I tell them the truth… it will plant more seeds of the empire in their heads. That means more uprisings and more innocent deaths. Do you want to see that?"

"No, but-"

"Then find a _fucking_ alternative!" Minerva shouted.

The volume of the president's voice made the silence that followed seem desolate.

"Have you ever considered that your temper may be an issue, Minerva?" Megan asked, feeling determined rather than intimidated. "I think we can both agree that anger solves little."

Minerva recoiled as if struck.

"…You're right," she whispered after a pause. "You're _fucking_ right. Bah!"

Megan smiled. She had always admired Minerva's ability to assess her own actions.

"So, will you reconsider your plan, Ms. President?" Megan asked.

"If you can come up with one in the next two minutes," Minerva muttered. "I need to get out there and address my people."

 _"My people,"_ Megan thought. _Does Minerva still see them as individual people? Or has she fallen into the same pitfall as the rest?_

"You could tell the truth," Megan suggested again, not letting her nervousness show. "I know that it's tough, but…"

"I'm sorry," Minerva whispered, hunching over and hugging her arms like a beaten child, "But I can't do that. I need to stamp out the fire before I can allow any more oxygen into the political scene."

"So by your metaphor, you would suffocate people to achieve your goal?" Megan asked.

Minerva turned around, standing up straight and taking a deep breath. Megan knew Minerva long enough to tell that she was still distressed under her confident exterior.

"If I have to," Minerva whispered, looking out to the crowd.

* * *

Jeff walked through the streets of Ceres, trying to follow Tony through the massive gathering of people. Tony shouted something at him, but Jeff could hardly make it out amongst the chatter of the crowd. After what felt like hours, he made his way to the central plaza.

"Come on!" Tony shouted. "I found a good place where we can see!"

"Did we really have to come to watch the president speak?" Jeff asked, the crowd making so much noise that even he couldn't hear himself. "I'm sure that we can just get a recap tomorrow."

Tony's "good place" involved scaling multiple buildings. After a few minutes of climbing and likely trespassing on property (which Tony told Jeff to stop talking about every time that he brought it up), he and Tony arrived on a flat roof of a stone building.

"See?" Tony asked. "Perfect! We'll be able to see the president from here."

Right then, a titan-sized hologram of Minerva appeared on the center stage, prompting Tony to gasp. This holographic Minerva Carpainter stood as tall as a skyscraper.

"Yeah," Jeff muttered, craning his neck as he looked up at the president's holographic head. "We really would have had trouble seeing her from the ground."

"Shut up," Tony muttered. "I didn't know that she would use a hologram. Besides, the exercise is good for you."

"Hmph," Jeff said. "I get plenty of exercise."

"Yeah, I can tell by how hard you pant whenever we go into swordplay," Tony shot back with a smirk. "What are you getting in that class? A four?"

Grades in Ceres were on a 1-10 scale, with six being around average.

"A five," Jeff corrected.

"Oh, _excuse me,_ " Tony said. "Well, I think that grade shows just how much exercise you get."

"Greetings, good citizens," Minerva spoke, her calm voice booming across the square.

 _They must be using psionics to amplify her voice,_ Jeff thought. _That's so cool!_

"I bring good news and bad news," Minerva continued. "The good news is that Coran Lorune, son of Emperor George and a great enemy to democracy, has been slain."

Minerva pumped a fist into the air, a calculated smile breaking out onto her face. The crowd cheered; Jeff covered his ears.

"Come on!" Tony shouted. "Get excited! Aren't you glad that Coran's gone? That dude was responsible for so many deaths."

"I don't like participating in mobs," Jeff said.

"This isn't a mob," Tony insisted. "It's a celebration."

Jeff rolled his eyes.

"You're connected by a single point of zeal. It's a mob, Tony."

"Suit yourself," Tony said, and he promptly resumed cheering.

"The bad news is _who_ took out Coran Lorune," Minerva said.

The crowd fell slient.

"The rest of the empirists, seeing Coran's failed attack on Ceres, decided to assassinate him. This movement was spearheaded by Coran's brother Boras Lorune. He has set himself up as the new head of the empirists."

The crowd broke into an angry torrent of words, all of them about Boras.

"What a despicable man!"

"We need to eliminate all of the empirists!"

"Only a monster would kill his own brother!"

Tony shook his head.

"Those empirists," he said. "They're all the same. They live in the past, not wanting to accept that the world has moved on without them. If this doesn't prove that they're ruthless to the core, I don't know what will."

Jeff agreed, but something still irked him.

"It feels like the crowd is feeding itself," Jeff said. "I know that Boras is probably a monster, but can we really judge him yet?"

"If you think that way, you'll never be able to form an opinion about _anything,_ " Tony replied.

 _I guess that's true,_ Jeff thought, _But I like having a mind of my own. Being part of a crowd… investing my thoughts in a group… that doesn't appeal to me._

"Yes," Minerva Carpainter said, her voice booming across the square. "This does not bode well for us. Boras Lorune is a crafty man, and he'll try to brainwash the vulnerable minds of people on Vulcan." Her face twinged in disgust. "Trust me, I know what that's like."

 _Clever,_ Jeff thought, _Comparing her father to Boras. But are they really the same?_

"As a result, I am planning to launch a strike force to take out the empirists on Vulcan." Minerva closed her eyes, putting a hand over her heart. "I do not think that anyone _wants_ to start a war, but…" Minerva opened her eyes. They shone with fiery zeal. "For democracy and freedom, I will do it!"

The crowd went nuts, cheering wildly and throwing objects in their enthusiasm. Tony let out a whoop.

"I understand that this decision is serious," Minerva continued, her voice growing louder with each word, "But I cannot afford to wait any longer. Who wants a world ruled by an emperor that was chosen by being _born_ to a specific family? Anyone?"

"No!" the crowd shouted in unison.

 _I don't want an emperor to rule the universe again,_ Jeff thought reluctantly, _And I do support sending a strike force to take out dangerous empirists. But something about this still seems… wrong. It feels like the crowd is agreeing with President Carpainter because of the passion in her voice, not the logic in her words._

"The only people who _do_ want such a universe are ex-noble families who feel insecure about their image," Minerva said. "They want to reinstate an emperor because it makes them _look_ better. Tell me! Do you sympathize with them?"

"No!" the crowd repeated.

"Interesting," Jeff said. "I didn't think that Minerva would attack the ex-nobles. They have a lot of power."

"Maybe she actually cares about what she's saying and isn't afraid to speak her opinion," Tony said, straining his voice to make his words audible over the crowd's roar.

"The first rule of politics is to avoid pissing off powerful people whenever you can," Jeff said. "That's not me being cynical; it's a simple fact. For Minerva to win elections every six years, she needs support from multiple groups."

Tony scowled.

"You analyze too much," he said. "Come on, this is serious! We're talking about thousands of potential casualties if the empirists return to full power."

"Nobody wants that," Jeff said, feeling his voice go hoarse. "But I'm scared of diving in without inspecting the water first."

"I can feel your passion," Minerva said. "We've set up a system that allows _you_ to have a voice. We must keep that system intact at all costs!"

 _There's that phrase,_ Jeff thought over the crowd's screams. _"At all costs." Is anything really worth achieving at all costs? I love democracy, but I would give it up if our situation got bad enough._

"I think that we all know just how vital it is to show the empirists that we _will not be messed with,_ " Minerva said. "Boras has released a statement saying that he plans to attack Ceres with a greater force than the starman attack a few weeks ago. Should we stand for this?"

"NO!" the crowd roared.

Minerva smiled.

"I am glad that we are in accord," she said, her posture returning to calm. "I went through that thought process myself. In the end, I decided that to preserve democracy, we had to show some force. I am an advocate of peace, but sometimes others force us to act. We weathered the storm of the starman attack. Now, we shall strike back!"

More screaming and yelling. More waving and throwing of objects. Jeff plugged his ears again.

"This is why I am taking volunteers to go over and fight for our planet," Minerva said. "Since intergalactic transportation is limited, I am restricted to recruiting only psions. However, _anyone_ with psionic powers is encouraged to join our ranks."

"Man," Tony said. "I wish that I had psionic powers. I would totally go over to Vulcan and kick some empirist ass."

 _I wouldn't,_ Jeff thought. _Does that make me a coward?_

"As for psionic students," Minerva continued. "They are welcome to join us in our campaign. I understand that school is important, so students who wish to fight for their planet will serve only for about a month."

 _What?_ Jeff thought. _Students are allowed to fight and die in a war?_

As if Minerva had read Jeff's mind, she continued: "Of course, these students are not going to participate in combat. However, since all male psions will eventually serve the Ceres military, this will be a great experience for them to understand what it means to work with us. We'll have them deal with supplies and help the native Vulcanese rather than actually fight. Think of it as… an apprenticeship."

 _I guess that's a little better…_ Jeff thought.

"Man, I'm kind of jealous," Tony said, a grin breaking out on his face. "I want to see how an intergalactic war works. Do you think that Ninten and Ness will sign up?"

"…I don't know," Jeff whispered.

"What?" Tony asked. "You have to speak up to be heard over this crowd."

"I hope that they don't go to Vulcan," Jeff said, more loudly this time. "Because from what I hear… people who go there never return the same."

* * *

Ninten walked up to the door that lead to Ana's room. _Of course_ he had come, after hearing what Ms. Monotoli had done to her during "detention." Sure, he was an asshole, but he would still be there for his friends if they were subjected to hallucinating their worst fears as a result of a psycho teacher!

He knocked on Ana's door. For the first time in what seemed like months, butterflies churned in Ninten's stomach. He gulped.

 _Wow,_ he thought. _Pathetic. I can face down a horde of starmen without thinking, but I can't approach my best friend without feeling nervous?_

"Come in," Ana said from inside, her voice sounding normal enough.

Ninten stepped inside, now used to the fact that her room looked the _exact psyching same_ as his. Inside, Ana sat on her bed, reading a book.

"What are you… reading?" Ninten asked, not wanting to dive straight into talking about what Ana had been subjected to.

"This is a dystopian novel written by an empirist 60 years ago, back when people like that were allowed to be published," she said, closing the book and standing up.

"Are you serious?" Ninten asked, looking for a glint of humor in Ana's eyes and finding none.

"Yeah," Ana said. "Sure, the guy's political views are retarded, but he does bring up a couple of good points. In his novel, he shows a future where everyone can use psionic devices that require little skill to operate and can kill someone with the pull of a trigger. Most people use the devices responsibly, but a few jerks decide to screw over an entire population. At least in today's age, we make sure to screen psions so that they don't abuse their powers."

"I… see," Ninten said.

"I know that you're bitter about the empirists, and you have every reason to be," Ana said. "But if I can't understand the other side of the argument, then how can I truly disagree with it?"

"I guess that makes sense," Ninten conceded. "You seem alright, considering that…"

"That one of our _teachers_ used psionics to make me hallucinate my worst fears, something that the treaty of Fourside denotes as 'psychological torture?' Yeah."

"I'm sorry," Ninten said. "I think that Ms. Monotoli took out her anger on you because I resisted her."

Ana broke into a smile.

"You're apologizing for something that isn't your fault?" she asked. "Who are you and what have you done with Ninten?"

"Hilarious, Ann."

Ana laughed, presumably at Ninten's flat tone.

"Okay," Ninten said. "Maybe it's not my fault, but I _do_ feel bad. I guess that I just hate picturing you in pain, even though I know that you can take it better than most people."

"Aww, that's sweet," Ana said.

"Not really," Ninten said. "I'm just insecure. We both know that pain doesn't bother you a whole lot, yet I still obsess about it."

"Hey, I'm guilty of doing that to other people as well," Ana said. "No big deal."

"I suppose…" Ninten said, reluctant to let the topic drop. "So what _was_ it like?"

"Seeing my greatest fears?" Ana asked, flashing a cold smile. "Thinking that those fears are reality? It honestly wasn't so bad. It was… cathartic, really."

"So your fears aren't that bad?" Ninten asked hopefully.

"That's one way to interpret it," Ana answered.

"…Are you implying that I'm wrong?"

"I'm implying that I honestly don't want to say any more. Sorry."

"Apologizing for things that aren't your fault?" Ninten asked with a fake gasp.

Ana laughed.

"But it _is_ my fault," she said, "Even if it's not a big problem. Anyways… did you watch President Carpainter's speech today?"

"No," Ninten said. "I don't really like being around people in general. What did she say?"

"Your great-uncle Boras killed your grandfather Coran," Ana replied. "President Carpainter wants to take action against the empirists."

 _Wait… Coran is dead?_ Suddenly, the world around him seemed a little more vibrant.

"Psych, yeah!" Ninten exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. "Take that! Grandfather my ass. That man needed a quicker road to his grave than the one he got."

"It doesn't bother you that Boras killed your grandfather?" Ana asked.

"My family's always been a little cutthroat," Ninten said with a shrug. "Why should it matter to me? Maybe Boras' conscience kicked in and told him to improve the world by killing my grandfather. In that case, I'm _glad_ that he's the killer."

"Your family is weird," she said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "So… you met Boras a few times, right?"

"…Yeah," Ninten said softly. "I don't know if he actually means well or if he's trying to trick the world. He's an engaging speaker, and he makes outlandish goals seem like they're an arm's length away. He converted me over to empirism when I was ten. I stayed that way until I met my grandfather." Ninten shivered. "I'm glad that I did. He showed me what empirists are _truly_ like. Trust me, Ana. Even if Boras is sincere, his goals aren't the same as the rest of theirs."

"I believe you," Ana said. "I was just wondering why Minerva would take action against him, considering that she never seemed to care about your grandfather."

"Boras is dangerously likable," Ninten said. "He can capture the hearts of people on Vulcan just like Apollo Carpainter did two years ago. Minerva's not attacking him because he's more evil than Coran. She's attacking him because he's a serious threat."

"It doesn't take much to convince the Vulcanese, does it?" Ana asked softly. "They want so badly to believe in _something_ that they'll cling onto any scraps of ideas thrown their way. Maybe we should introduce them to Catholicism so that fewer crazy cultists are able to brainwash them."

"God is a lie," Ninten said dismissively.

"You may think that," Ana said, "But you know how comforting lies can be. If religion would give them hope… well, why shouldn't we do it? The ideas are fine; the only problem is that religious people tend to be stuffy ex-nobles who wouldn't accept the Vulcanese as real humans."

Ninten sighed.

"Why do you always have to be _right?_ " he asked.

Ana smiled.

"Years of practice," she said. After a second, concern sprouted on her face. "Minerva's recruiting psions to fight over on Vulcan. She even wants to take students…" her eyes locked with his own.

"I think that I should go over there," Ninten whispered. "I've never been to Vulcan, but Claus made me interested. I want to see if life over there is as bad as he claims. And… I want to take down the empirists."

Ana nodded.

"I thought that you would say that," she said. "If you sign up, you'll leave in two weeks, which is right after the dance."

 _About that…_ Ninten took a deep breath. Why was his heart pounding in his chest?

"I've been meaning to ask," he said. "Would you… be willing to go to the dance with me?"

Ana sighed, looking down at her feet.

"Oh," she said.

"Oh what?" Ninten asked.

"Oh, _that_ question." Ana looked back up. "…No. I'm sorry."

That rejection hit Ninten harder than it should have.

"Well, that's fine," he said. "I know that I'm not really cool or attractive or…"

"Do you really think that I care about that?" Ana asked. "I actually _want_ to go with you. But… I'm worried about Paula. She's getting worse and worse, ever since Ms. Monotoli called her out in class. I don't know if it's related, but…" Ana bit her lip.

"Pardon my stupidity," Ninten said, "But what do Paula's problems have to do with the school dance?"

Ana raised an eyebrow.

"Can't you tell?" she asked. "Paula has a huge crush on you, Ninten. I think that it would mean a lot to her if you asked her to the dance."

 _No way._

Ninten blinked, expecting reality to warp around him, expecting Ana's face to appear joking rather than dead serious.

"Are you… kidding me?" he asked.

Ana rolled her eyes.

"I'm surprised that you didn't notice," she said. "A blind person could have seen it coming a mile away. Didn't you notice how she's always looking at you and acting shy around you?"

"I assumed that was normal!"

"News flash: it isn't," Ana said.

"But _why?_ " Ninten asked. "Everyone knows that I'm an asshole. She could choose anyone; Tony, Ness, Jeff, Poo, even _Claus…_ Why me?"

"You stood up for her," Ana said with a shrug. "That means a lot to her. I also think that she admires your willingness to state your opinion. Noble ladies grow up in a pretty restrained environment, so I think she finds your attitude refreshing."

Ninten shook his head.

"This all seems so surreal," he said. "Someone is attracted to _me?_ "

"What, did you think that nobody would ever love you and that you would grow old and die alone?"

"Honestly, yeah."

Ana snorted.

"You undersell yourself," she said. "It's interesting. Most people do it because they're afraid of failing someone's expectations, so they try to set a low bar. You're not like that. Anyways, Paula _is_ attracted to you, so would it be okay if you asked her to the dance? I think that she needs it."

"Err…" Ninten said. "I've never even thought about that prospect. Sure, I guess, if it will make her feel better."

"And you call yourself an asshole," Ana said with a smile.

"Compared to you, I am," Ninten said. "Honestly, who says no because they want their friend to go out with the guy instead?"

"Well… let's just say that I already had plans," Ana said. "And it looks like I'll need to enact them."

"What sort of plans?" Ninten asked.

Ana smiled.

"Let's just say that Paula isn't the only one who needs emotional support," she said.

* * *

Ness sat in his room, feeling his psicrystal whisper to him. It didn't speak in words but… emotions. Its messages seemed to match his mood, although Ness couldn't tell if he was influencing the crystal's behavior or the other way around.

How long had it been since he had interacted with someone? Days, probably, maybe even weeks. Ness didn't know how he could bear talking to people. Whenever someone approached him, he felt an overwhelming desire to _leave._

He couldn't be comforted.

He couldn't feel happy.

Before Pokey's funeral, Ness thought that standing up to authority was brave. Well, he had done that, and now look at how he felt!

Empty.

Hollow.

Desolate.

Ness covered his ears, _hearing_ those words in his head. Ness wanted… what did he want?

Home.

Before Ness knew it, hot tears were rolling down his cheeks. He pictured his house on top of the Onett's hill and the tears intensified. He remembered the _sounds_ of Onett: the quiet bustling, the casual greetings, the soft rippling of the wind. Ceres was rarely windy. Why was that? He remembered the _smells_ of Onett: his mom's freshly cooked steak, flowers on the side of the road, pizza and hamburgers at the nearby shop. Ness hadn't even noticed all of the little things that he loved about Onett while he was there.

But that was how life worked, wasn't it? Nobody ever noticed how good they had it until they had to leave.

Ness curled up into a ball.

He _knew_ that the last two years in Onett were almost unimaginably painful, but in that moment, he would have given anything to be back. He knew that as soon as he left Ceres, he would miss the lighter gravity that allowed for springy steps and the excellent cafeteria food. He didn't care.

He wanted to go home.

The psicrystal moaned in sympathy. For something so valuable, that thing could be awfully _annoying._ Ness was tempted to break it in half right then and there, sacrificing millions of dollars in value or no.

Right as he was about to go over and try to shut the psicrystal up _somehow,_ Ness heard knocking on his door. His heart started beating furiously, no matter that Ness was trying his hardest to keep it from doing just that.

"W-Who is it?" Ness asked, his voice cracking.

"It's Ana," the voice responded. "May I come in?"

Ness blinked. Why would anyone _want_ to visit him?

"Sure," he said. "I guess."

He walked up and unlocked the door. He opened it, revealing Ana's sunny face.

"Hey," she said, stepping into his room. "I haven't seen you in _forever._ "

"It's been… a week?" Ness asked.

"Closer to two," Ana said. "Did you hear the news?"

"News about what?" Ness croaked.

Ana furrowed her eyebrows.

"Don't take this the wrong way," she said, "But you don't look well. Is everything all right?"

"Y-Yes!" Ness rushed to exclaim. "Nothing wrong!"

Ana's face softened.

"You don't need to act strong," she said. "Remember, I can be your strength. And as Ninten always says, you don't need _any_ strength at all to be a good person. If something's wrong, please tell me."

Ness bit his lip. How could he tell Ana that _life itself_ was the problem?

"Please," Ana said. "I want to help."

"I'm sorry," Ness said. "I just don't know what you could help with."

"What's the problem?" Ana asked.

"…I feel homesick," Ness said. "I know that studying on Ceres is a great opportunity, but I hate it. I just want to go home… but that's selfish, isn't it?"

"I think that I'm going to employ Ninten's logic here," she said with a smirk. "It's selfish in the way that you care about yourself. That's not a bad thing."

"…I know," Ness said. "But I can't help but feel guilty."

"I get that," Ana said. "I suppose that now wouldn't be a good time to tell you about the news…"

"What news?" Ness asked.

Ana sighed.

"Do you _really_ want to hear?" she asked.

Ness' heart pounded in his chest.

"I do," he said, surprised at how confidently his words came out.

"All right," Ana said with a sigh. "I hate being the one to bear bad news, but… Minerva Carpainter is attacking the empirists. She's recruiting psions to help her, even students like you. If you walk out there… you'll be bombarded with suggestions to join the fight."

 _No,_ Ness thought. _I... can't go through that._

"Ooh," Ana said, flinching in empathy. "I didn't know that it would hit you that hard. I'm sorry…"

"I… won't go back to Vulcan," Ness said. "I _won't._ "

"You don't have to," Ana said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"…But if I don't, I'm a coward," Ness said. "A weakling. Someone who won't even fight to help the universe."

"Well, it seems like you're divided," Ana said, "And only you can choose how to end this. But I would recommend not going based on what other people will say about you. Sure, you can take their judgements into account, but listen to their logic rather than their emotion… And most people who call you a weakling won't have any logic to speak of."

"This isn't about that anymore," Ness said, hunching his shoulders. "I _should_ want to go over to Vulcan and make the universe a better place. I just… don't."

"I don't think that anyone can blame you for not wanting to go back to that place," Ana said. "Do… you want to tell me what happened there? I gathered that it wasn't pleasant for you, but did something specific happen?"

Ness cringed. For a brief second, he was back on Vulcan, buried under a pile of corpses as he flailed, trying to do _anything_ that would keep him from being crushed to death. Returning to the present, he gasped, his skin feeling numb.

"…No," he whispered, hugging his arms. "I… I don't want to say. I'm sorry, Ana."

The sympathetic look that Ana gave him nearly broke Ness' heart. How could she manage to _care_ so much, and why couldn't Ness do the same?

"That's completely fine," she said. "You can tell me however much you want."

Ness curled up into a ball.

"Thanks, Ana," he said, feeling even more guilty. "I'll… think about going to Vulcan, all right?"

"Of course," she said. "Take as much time as you need. I'm here to support you… in more ways than one."

Ness blinked.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

A strange expression crossed Ana's face. Nervousness? No, it couldn't be. Ana always knew exactly what to do and exactly what her actions would result in. There was no room in her perfect mind for nervousness.

"Ness…" she said. "Will you go to the dance with me?"

Ness blinked.

"W-What?" he asked. "You're asking _me?_ "

"I know," Ana said with a grimace. "Social norm dictates that the boy is supposed to ask the girl. I didn't mean to offend you in any way by…"

"No," Ness whispered. "Not that. I mean, why ask me? Why not Ninten?"

"You know, you two are more similar than I thought," Ana said. "He basically responded the same way when I told him that Paula had a crush on him."

"Wait," Ness said. "Paula has a crush on Ninten?"

Ana rolled her eyes.

"How could neither of you tell? She made it so obvious."

"…Sorry," Ness said.

Ana's face softened.

"Ness," she said, her voice sounding various shades of kindness. "I didn't mean for you to feel bad. Really, there's nothing wrong with you."

"…Thanks," he said. For some reason, hearing those words took some weight off of his chest.

"So," Ana said, her voice returning to its natural, upbeat state. "Will you go to the dance with me?"

"…Why ask me?" Ness questioned. "You know that I'm not much of anything. You're so perfect; I'm sure that you could get someone much better than me."

"I'm not nearly as perfect as you think," Ana said. "And you're wonderful, Ness. Truly, you are."

"No, I'm not," Ness protested. "I'm not _anything._ "

"Tell me the truth," Ana said. "Do you really think that, or are you just trying to give yourself another reason to feel bad?"

Ness flinched, his eyes closing upon reflex. He gingerly opened them to see Ana smiling at him. Ness slowly forced his body to relax and his mind to think logically. _Did_ he really believe that about himself?

"…I guess that I don't think that I'm _nothing,_ " Ness said after a pause. "But I'm certainly not 'wonderful.'"

Ana's smile widened. Why did that make him feel so good?

"It's impressive how easily you can see the truth, once you look for it," she said. "It's not easy to admit to self-pity. I can understand where you're coming from; I often feel the same way."

"But you can do so many things!" Ness exclaimed.

Ana sighed.

"I'll tell you a secret," she said. "No matter how much you can do, you're still _you._ My achievements don't really make me see myself in a better light. It sometimes makes me wonder why I even try… but that's my problem. I think that I can show you how wonderful you are, Ness. Will you go to the dance with me?"

Ana extended a hand, her blue eyes shining with sincerity. Ness took a deep breath, exhaling out his toxic emotions. He stared into the deep pools of Ana's irises. How could someone be so deep yet so genuine?

He took Ana's hand.

"Yes," he said.

A smile lit up on Ana's face, making Ness' heart leap.

 _Is this what… being in love is like?_ he wondered weakly.

"You look so happy!" Ana exclaimed.

 _Happy?_ Ness thought. _I guess I am. What happened to the little boy curled up into a ball just minutes ago?_

"Well," Ana said. "Now that I finally got someone to go to the dance with me, I have to fulfill a promise."

"Hmm?" Ness asked. "What's that?"

"I have to take you to see my parents," Ana said.


	30. Chapter 24: Depression

**Guess who's here with not one but two chapters? ...You don't have to think very hard about that one. It's me.**

 **I remembered how I used to update this story in blocks of chapters, back when the chapters were all tiny and stuff. A lot of the reason that I did that was because this is epic fantasy and the plot is pretty slow. I don't like reading an update where nothing really happens, but I also don't like reading gargantuan chapters. AS a result, I think that it's best to release multiple chapters at once to ensure that stuff happens.**

 **Another reason why I'm doing it now is because I'm almost at the end of actually writing this first book. I just have one chapter and a tiny epilogue left to actually write.**

 **That being said, the last chapter is going to be pretty long (I think), maybe longer than any other chapter that I've written. But I dunno, some of the later chapters for New Frontier were pretty stinking long. Still won't be as long as some of Phoesong's.**

 **I guess the point is that I'm confident that I'll be able to finish this story up by the end of November.**

 **Also, I edited these chapters two times (instead of three), but I spent more time on each edit. Can you tell the difference one way or the other?**

 **One final note: I didn't receive as many reviews as normal for last chapter. It's 100% cool if you're busy or whatever (I know that I am haha), but if my chapters suck or offend you in any way, please say so! Thanks. :)**

 **Review responses:**

 **Guest:** Heh, that was the intended effect. :) And thanks... although I wouldn't consider that chapter filler because a lot of plot stuff happens. I guess everyone is different in their opinion. :) Yeah, I try not to write overdone pairings. You'll probably see that this story isn't super romantic as a whole, since I have no experience with romance whatsoever (so alone... ;-;). Haha I'm kidding... about the alone part. I haven't had any romantic relationships yet, so I don't feel comfortable writing something super gushy (which isn't really my style anyways). Oh, I'm glad that you enjoy the psychology and politics! :) A lot of more modern epic fantasy series tend to be very political, so I drew inspiration from that. And the psychology thing is just something that I like. :)

Oh, I was totally like that when I started writing. Now, my mind's more capable of keeping up with what I write. And since typing requires less thought and motion than actual writing, my brain finds it way easier to keep up when typing. And I'm glad that I can help! :) If there is anything that you should take inspiration from in this story, it is the characters. My actual writing is pretty unrefined haha. I kind of ignore the outside world when I write as well. It's been psychologically proven that we can only focus on one thing at once, and multitasking is just switching back and forth between two tasks quickly. So I'd say that you're optimizing your productivity! Ah, you're welcome! :) That's one of the things that I love about epic fantasy: I can make so many characters that everyone pretty much has to connect with at least one. And Lucas is going to appear in one more chapter this book... ch. 26, I believe. See you! :)

 **PSIboy:** Oh yeah, I would hate hate HATE being a politician. 90 hour work weeks are not for me haha... yeah, I'm lazy. :P And this chapter has some more insights about the empirists. Ch. 26 does as well (sorta). And Minerva's forces are quite a bit more powerful than the empirists', as is the case with most revolution vs. government struggles. Yeah, a lot of the fighting is going to be pretty abstract because war is so different in this universe, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to convey it well. And yep, people tend to draw from every power that they have (totally wasn't a plot device to get my characters into the action). And as for your predictions... we'll see :)

* * *

 _I'm starting to understand the world outside of Osohe Castle. I'm starting to get a sense of how the universe really works._

 _I don't like one bit of it._

 _Lucas showed me around his home town Tazmily. Every one of the people there dismissed us as savages despite the fact that Lucas lived with them for 13 years of his life. While they act warm towards each other, they exclude us. It seems to make them feel better about their own existence._

 _Is everyone really so vain? Is the universe outside of Osohe Castle as bad as it seems?_

 _I wish that I knew._

* * *

"Here we are," Ana said.

Ness stared up at the pale, crystalline building that towered above him. He turned back to Ana, who looked surprisingly natural in her elegant dress. Ness had always pictured Ana as being… simple when it came to appearance. Not bad, but simple. Ana's newfound elegance made him self-conscious about his appearance. After all, he wanted to make a good impression on Ana's parents.

…Or did he? Recently, Ness had found it harder to care.

"Is that entire thing really made of diamond?" Ness asked, letting his awe overshadow his feelings of apathy.

"Yep," Ana said, "Pretty, isn't it? Not all that practical, though. Diamond is _heavy._ "

"I'm just amazed that there's this much diamond in the universe," Ness whispered. "I mean, it's not rare by any means, but it takes a _lot_ to make a building."

Ana's face soured.

"This was probably created by some emperor centuries ago," she said. "Beautiful structures usually require a bit of vanity. Not that it's good to be _completely_ orthodox with architectural design…"

"So," Ness said, squinting as he examined the building more closely. "This might sound stupid, but… how do we get in? I don't see a door."

"We're psions," Ana answered with a smile. "We don't need doors."

"Wait," Ness said. "This building doesn't even _have_ entrances?"

"Nope," Ana answered. "Well… I guess that the correct response is 'yes.' Double negatives confuse me. Like I said, this was probably built by an emperor, who saw the lack of doors as a symbol of status. I doubt that he even _considered_ that someone without psionic powers would want to enter."

 _The more I learn about this planet's history, the less I want to know_ , Ness thought.

"So how do we get in?" Ness asked. "Do we teleport?"

"That would be right," came a voice behind Ness, startling him.

Ness turned around, seeing a man and a woman dressed in fancy attire. He instantly recognized them from his two years of watching television. They appeared often on political news stations.

"Oh, sorry," the woman said. "I didn't mean to startle you. How are you doing, Nin-"

"Look closer, Megan," the man interrupted softly. "That is not Ninten."

The woman blinked.

"Oh, it isn't!" she exclaimed. "Well, this is awkward. Sorry again. I suppose that you probably don't have the best first impression of me, hmm? But then again, everyone knows that I'm a klutz."

Ness wondered if he was dreaming. These people _certainly_ wouldn't bother to talk to Ness as an equal, given their station.

"There's nothing wrong with that, mom," Ana said, breaking out into a smile.

"Wait," Ness said to Ana. "These people are your _parents?_ "

"I know," the woman said. "Ana is just so much _better_ than us that nobody ever thinks that we're related."

"Stop it!" Ana exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"Glad to see that your mother can still make you do that," the man said, chuckling. "You always seem like you're in control of everything these days, Ana. It makes me wonder what happened to you."

Ana cleared her throat.

" _That,_ " she said, "Doesn't really matter right now. Mom, dad, this is Ness. You made me promise to introduce you to the person who's going to the dance with me, so here he is."

"We didn't _make_ you do anything," the woman said. "You offered, remember?"

"Because you were complaining that I'm not social enough! I wanted to get you off of my back."

"You could have just told me to get off your back and I would have," the woman shot back.

The man leaned over and whispered to Ness, "This is their way of bonding. They actually get along quite well, so I didn't want you to get the wrong idea. The name's Adam. Adam Aniah. It's nice to meet you."

"Ah, always so _polite,_ Adam," the woman said. She turned to Ness with a radiant smile. "The name's Megan."

Ness went over their words multiple times in his head, hardly able to convince himself that people so important could be so _normal_.

"It's… nice to meet you," Ness said with a nervous smile.

"Good, we have those formalities out of the way," Megan said. "You three ready to eat or what? Our reservation should be ready."

"It's not that my mom doesn't care about meeting new people," Ana explained, "She just prefers to avoid anything formal."

"Which is strange, considering that she picked out this restaurant," Adam said.

"Like it's _my_ fault that the places with the tastiest food are the most formal," Megan said, rolling her eyes. "But yeah, I don't bite. You three ready?"

"Uh… sure," Ness said, not sure what to make of the relationship between Ana and her parents. The way that they talked, it almost seemed like they were friends or colleagues.

"Teleport," Megan said.

The next second, Ness found himself standing in front of a wooden table, probably crafted from some exotic tree. He gasped, looking around him to see that he was inside of the crystalline building. He had never experienced a teleport so… instant.

"Ah, yeah," Megan said. "People are usually surprised how the world doesn't swirl or whatever when I teleport. It happens when you get good enough."

Ness nodded. As he took his seat at the table, he looked down, which proved to be a mistake. Since the entire building was made of diamond, the transparent floor showed him _everything_ below… and he wasn't close to the ground. Ness felt the blood draining from his face. After a few seconds, he felt Ana's arm wrap around his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, fine," Ness said.

"And that's strike three for me, huh?" Megan asked, looking at Ness in concern. "I didn't mean to freak you out with this place. Sorry."

"No, it's fine!" Ness rushed to reply.

"It's all right," Adam said. "You can tell us if you're not comfortable."

 _I don't know what meeting my girlfriend's parents is supposed to be like, but I didn't expect this,_ Ness thought. _But then again, Ana and I aren't really courting, are we?_

"So," Megan said. "Would you mind telling us a bit about yourself, Ness? We won't judge you or anything; we just want to know who you are. After all, Ana never tells us about any of her friends or boyfriends."

"Ness is my first boyfriend," Ana said. "If it can even be called that. We're just going to a dance."

"But still," Adam said. "It's nice to hear a little about Ana's social life. Not that we're trying to vicariously live through her or anything like that."

 _What does that even mean?_ Ness thought.

Everyone looked expectantly at him.

 _Err… I guess I should talk now?_

"There's not much to say about me," he said, the words rolling out of his mouth without a second thought. "I'm just a normal kid who grew up in Onett and happened to get psionic powers. To be perfectly honest, I don't even know why Ana's interested in me."

"Piece of advice," Megan said, leaning in and whispering. "If you get another girlfriend and have to talk to her parents, try to make yourself seem awesome and reliable. That was pretty uninspiring. We don't care, but most other people do."

Ness shrugged.

"What's wrong, Ness?" Ana asked. "I know that my parents can get a little annoying sometimes…"

Megan scoffed.

" _But,_ " Ana continued. "I don't think that's why you're… how do I put this? Feeling a little down, maybe?"

"I don't know," Ness said, putting a hand over his heart. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's happening to me…"

"Depression," Adam said. "You're normally a shy person, right? You don't like acting too quickly out of fear that people will judge you. That normally makes you the epitome of politeness, but now you can't quite remember why that meant so much to you."

Ness looked up.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"Let's just say that being an effective psion requires understanding of psychology," Adam said with a twinkle in his eye. "I've learned to read people fairly well."

Something about Ness _wanted_ to open up to these people, but that feeling couldn't overcome the block in his mind that prevented him from caring about _anything_.

"Oh," Ness said.

He wanted to say more, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. Waiters came by bringing massive platters of food, setting them down on the table (which was apparently how restaurants in Ceres served their customers). Ness could hardly smell the food under his bout of apathy.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Megan asked. "If something about us or this place isn't working for you…"

Ness felt a twinge of guilt in his heart. Even when surrounded by considerate people, he couldn't feel happiness.

"It's fine," Ness said. "I'm sorry for acting this way. I just…" he trailed off. Why _was_ he acting this way?

"Really, it's no problem," Adam said. "Everyone has their off-days, or even their off-months."

"Yeah," Ana said, "We understand that you're going through a lot of stress. I don't think that anyone can fault you for feeling a little overwhelmed."

"But aren't you concerned that I won't be able to take care of your daughter, sir and ma'am?" Ness asked Ana's parents.

"Call us Megan and Adam," Megan said. "And I'm pretty sure that you being able to take care of Ana is at the bottom of the list of our concerns. Maybe you see her differently, but to us it doesn't really seem like she needs the help."

"Yes, ma'a-Megan," Ness said. "I agree that Ana is fine on her own. It's just that most parents worry a lot about their daughters…"

"They still worry about me," Ana said, an exasperated smile breaking out on her face.

"We used to worry more," Adam said, "But she showed us that we didn't need to. If you don't mind me saying it, it seems like you could use her support more than she could use yours, Ness."

"…Yeah," Ness said, releasing a sigh.

"Hey, that's not a bad thing to admit," Megan said. "Everyone needs help from time to time. Some people need more help than others."

"I guess," Ness said. "I just wish that I was stronger."

"Strength is overrated," Ana replied with a smile. "Just ask Ninten."

 _Why am I always surrounded by such wonderful people?_ Ness wondered. _And why do I always take everything that they have to offer and give nothing back?_

"I'm going to need strength for what's coming up," Ness said, looking down at his feet.

"You mean the attack on Vulcan?" Megan asked. "You could choose to not go."

"I don't think it's that simple, mom," Ana said. "There's a lot of pressure for boys to sign up and fight. Also, I think that he has a past with Vulcan, a past that he wants to confront."

"Really," Adam said. "May I inquire as to what happened?"

"…Apollo Carpainter happened," Ness said. He felt his intestines constrict. "Even though he's dead, I've never been able to really escape him. Maybe if I can go back and face Vulcan again…" Ness trailed off.

The table fell silent. For minutes, everyone munched on their food without saying a word.

"I don't know what to say to that," Megan finally spoke up, "Except that I'm sorry. When I heard about Carpainter, I felt emotionally numb for the first time in my life. I've always been called empathetic, but that was the first time that I couldn't possibly _imagine_ what people like you were going through. So… I'm sorry, I guess. I know that my words won't change anything, but…" Megan's eyes lit up with passionate support, "It's important to remember that we're here for you."

"You don't have to do everything alone," Adam added.

"Right!" Ana exclaimed. "Don't feel bad for your weakness. I don't think that anyone could go through what you did and come out whole. We can lend you our strength until you recover your own."

"You don't even know what happened to me," Ness protested, nevertheless starting to feel his emotions return to him like a dog playing fetch.

"The pain in your eyes said more than words could ever have," Megan said. "And even if your situation wasn't as bad as some… it doesn't matter how easily you break. Everyone breaks eventually. It only matters how well you can put yourself back together."

"That's… deep," Ness said, trying to wrap his head around the idea.

"Or maybe I'm crazy," Megan said. "But either way, we're here to help you. You don't have to take on the world alone."

"And even when we're not standing next to you, we're with you in spirit," Adam said.

 _I'll ask around,_ Ness thought. _But I don't think that a girlfriend's parents are supposed to be this supportive._

"Ah, you two and your spirituality," Ana said. "It's kind of refreshing, honestly."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that," Megan said with a smirk. "You must have _really_ missed us, huh?"

"You two are religious, right?" Ness asked.

"Correct," Adam said. "We don't expect you to share our beliefs, since Catholicism has never been properly explained to the vast majority of people, but we do believe in that stuff."

"But we're not going to tell you that you're going to hell for not agreeing with us or anything like that," Megan said, "And we're not about to fight science, either. Not all of us Catholics are stuffy and close-minded."

 _Good to note,_ Ness thought. _I kind of assumed that all Catholics were like Paula's parents._

"Most of the reason that some of them are like that is because they use religion to reinforce their beliefs," Ana said, "And my parents don't do that."

"Well, we do," Adam said, "But some people see only what they want to see in holy codes."

"And others follow every code literally," Megan said. "We believe that god gave us complex cognitive capacities to evaluate morality on our own. We can use our codes as a starting point, but we're willing to make exceptions if we deem it morally better to do so in the situation."

"And above all," Adam said. "We don't think that god is vain. To him, being a good person is just as important as worshipping him, if not more. Every good action that you take supports god, whether you do it in his name or not."

"…And that's the speech that they give just about everyone," Ana said dryly. "I'm surprised that it took them this long to get to it."

"Well, it plays into Ness' depression," Adam said.

"Some people think that depression means the same thing for everyone," Megan said, "But it doesn't. The line between depression and 'normal' behavior is thinner than many suppose, just like how the line between believers and non-believers is slim."

"There's nothing wrong with you, Ness," Adam said. "You're just not exactly where you probably want to be right now. That's okay. Most people aren't."

"Everyone has serious issues from time to time," Megan said. "You'll overcome depression, just like another person overcomes losing their job. It just takes time."

"…How are you so synchronized?" Ness asked in wonder.

Megan laughed.

"We've been married for 18 years," she said. "I would hope that we would understand each other pretty well by now."

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm talking to a pair of clones," Ana said, rolling her eyes.

Ness was still processing what Megan and Adam had said. He had always pictured his depression as a disorder that he had to correct. But what if that wasn't the case? What if he viewed getting out of depression as a milestone rather than a path to normality?

"I guess that I should focus on taking small steps forward," Ness said.

"Exactly," Megan said.

"When the big leaps seem to daunting, start small," Adam said.

"If you were wondering, _this_ is where I get my supportive nature from," Ana said.

Ness smiled. He still didn't feel good, but he felt _better._

"I… think that I can try that," he said. "And I know the first step to take."

"What's that?" Ana asked.

"Signing up to go to Vulcan," Ness answered.

* * *

Morgan Lorune walked through the streets of Ceres, hiding her explosive feelings under a façade of indifference.

 _I knew what Minerva was going to say,_ she thought, _but I had hoped that the citizens of Ceres wouldn't be so easily duped._

Morgan shook her head. She couldn't afford to feel angry. Anger made people stupid.

 _I guess it makes sense,_ she thought. _That's what happens when a large group of people gathers. Mob mentality takes over. If only these people realized that they are no different from Apollo Carpainter's cultists…_

There. Morgan transitioned her feelings from hate to pity. She could feel bad for Minerva as well. Neither the president nor Diana properly attached to a parent figure as an infant, which lead to impaired social skills and troubled minds. The fact that Minerva could speak so convincingly after what she had experienced as a child was extraordinary. Unfortunate, perhaps, but extraordinary.

Morgan hardly noticed the ruined building as it came into view. Here, away from the noise of the crowd, Ceres was a far different place. Roads lay in ruins; most windows were shattered. Looking into alleys, Morgan saw more street urchins than she could count.

 _Not so different from Vulcan, really._

Well, at least here she didn't feel like the air here was giving her cancer. She walked into the massive, abandoned building in front of her. In its state of disrepair, it almost looked haunted.

As soon as she walked in the door, she heard a click and then a twang. The next second, she found an arrow embedded in her chest. With a sigh, she pulled it out, scolding herself for not being ready. If her psionic aura had been harnessed to its full potential, the arrow would have simply bounced off.

"You should know by now how I work, Ms. Lorune," a voice came from the next room over. "I make sure that nobody takes the front way in."

Morgan shut the door behind her, walking over to the source of the voice to find Duster lounging on a couch, a bandage wrapped around his left knee. The last time that she had seen him was when he gave her a report that he mistook Ness for Ninten. That… had been unfortunate. It appeared that Duster hadn't managed to redeem himself during the starman attack a month ago.

"I've been looking for you all over," Morgan said. "Ever since Diana killed that slaver Garrickson…"

"I assumed you thought me dead," Duster said. "I must admit, I did not anticipate Diana Carpainter interfering."

"Your wound didn't come from her arrow," Morgan said. "When she shoots to injure, she aims at the thigh, not the knee. She never misses."

Duster chuckled.

"The boy," he said. "Ninten. Your… nephew?"

"First cousin once removed," Morgan corrected.

"Ah," Duster said. "It embarrasses me that he was able to win. It shouldn't have happened."

"My cousin Theodore trained him," Morgan said, "And he does not hold back at anything that he does. It amazes me how Ninten did not crack under parental pressure… that instead, the pressure turned him into a diamond. But there's a dirty secret about diamonds. They seem strong, but if you slice them the right way…"

"I don't speak in your fancy metaphors, Lorune," Duster said.

"Fair enough," Morgan conceded. "Because after all, words don't save you from a sword in the gut. Isn't that how you feel?"

Duster nodded.

"Well, there _is_ power in language," Morgan said, "Such as how Minerva persuaded an entire crowd."

"That bitch," Duster muttered, his eyes turning murderous. "Haven't we suffered enough? How badly does she want to beat us?"

"She wants to break us," Morgan said. "But we won't let that happen, will we?"

"Sure as psych I won't!" Duster growled. "I'll do whatever it takes to bring her down."

 _So intense…_ Morgan thought, _Not that I blame him. Oh, Minerva, don't you understand the monster that you have created? It's true that we are scattered, untrained, and outnumbered, but our conviction will carry us through to the end._

"We should head back to base," she said. "We can use the same tunnel that brought us in." _…That Diana managed to discover. I should really do something about that._ "Are you ready?"

"Just one question," Duster said. "How did you find me, Lorune? I always make sure to cover my tracks."

"I know more about you than you think," Morgan answered with a shrug. "I had a general idea of where you would be; I just had to use psionics to scry for you."

"…Scry?"

"See faraway places," Morgan explained. "I found you in this house while scrying on Vulcan. The Ceres barrier limits teleportation powers, but not clairsentience ones."

"I see," Duster said. "Then we should probably be off." He paused. "This house reminds me of a place that I knew. It's a little sad that I have to think of a haunted castle to feel nostalgia."

 _A haunted castle?_ Morgan thought. _But then again, stranger things have happened on Aphrodite._

"Let's go, Lorune," Duster said, his voice soft yet impatient.

"I'm no control freak, but you really should avoid being curt with the person who has power over you," Morgan said with a sigh. "Teleport."

* * *

"So Ana," Ness said, walking in the crowded streets of Ceres, "How are your parents so…"

"Harmonious?" Ana offered.

"Yeah," Ness answered. "It almost seems like they're made for each other."

"Well, that's what happens when the universe gets rid of arranged marriages," Ana said. "People marry each other for love. Mom and dad don't always agree, but they're both quite good at compromising. It makes them seem more in sync than they actually are."

Ness considered that as he followed Ana towards Ceres' military base.

"I guess I don't know what that's like," Ness said. "My dad was always away on Vulcan, so I don't think that my parents ever really _knew_ each other."

"Oh," Ana said, releasing a sigh. "It feels _wrong,_ doesn't it? Like your parents _should_ have been closer… because they so easily could have been."

Ness nodded.

"Even more than you might think," he said. "I don't know if I ever told you this, but my dad died on Vulcan. The cultists killed him."

"I figured that you had a past with Apollo Carpainter," Ana said. "Remember how you used to cringe at hearing his name? You've come a long way since then."

 _I suppose that I have,_ Ness thought. _The person who couldn't stand to hear Carpainter's name doesn't even feel like me. When I remember his past, it feels like I was wearing a different skin. Sure, I'm still a weakling, but I have come a long way._

Ness' thoughts were interrupted by Ana's portocom, which flashed neon red and green. Ana accepted the call, the portocom's purple screen rippling to show Ninten's face.

"Ann!" Ninten exclaimed. "I beat you to the military base! I arrived somewhere _before_ you!"

Ana rolled her eyes. Ness looked over Ana's shoulder so that Ninten could see his face.

"Hey, Ness!" Ninten said. "Are you going to sign up too?"

"That's the plan, yeah," Ana said. "Did you ask Paula out to the dance yet?"

 _That still seems so weird,_ Ness thought. _Ninten and Paula… courting? I guess that it is just a dance._

"Yeah," Ninten answered. "She said yes, just like you said that she would. Why do you always have to be _right,_ Ann?"

"Everyone always asks that," Ana said, shaking her head. "We'll be at the base soon. See you, Ninten!"

She shut the call off.

"That was pretty much the first time he's ever beaten me to a meeting," she explained, "So I guess he saw the need to rub it in."

Ness smiled.

"You two go a ways back, huh?" he asked.

 _Just like me and Paula…_

"Yup," she said. "So naturally, we have our share of embarrassing secrets together. You'll have to ask him about the time that I nearly killed him. He _loves_ telling that one."

Ness laughed. After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at a large dome. Ninten stood outside, wearing a sincere smile that caught Ness off guard. Ninten almost looked like a different person with a smile on his face.

"You sure seem happy," Ana noted.

"Sure as psych I am!" Ninten exclaimed. He drew glares from passerbys, although Ness wasn't sure if they minded Ninten's volume or his profanity. "Time to actually _do_ something! Minerva should have attacked sooner, honestly."

"Is anyone else we know is signing up?" Ness asked.

"Claus, I think," Ninten answered. "It will be fun with just us four, trekking across Vulcan's barren landscapes."

"That is, if you asthma doesn't do you in first," Ana said.

 _Ninten has asthma?_ Ness thought.

"Well," Ninten said with a cough. "I can always wear a mask. I hear that a lot of Vulcanese do that. But hey, look on the bright side!"

"When were _you_ ever the optimist?" Ness asked.

"Ninten was actually quite the charming 12-year old," Ana said. "My guess is that it goes with a sense of empowerment. Because Ninten feels that he can do something about his situation, he's inclined to be more friendly and upbeat."

"Stop being right so often," Ninten said with a playful smile. "You're making the rest of us look bad."

"My sincerest apologies," Ana said.

"So Ninten," Ness said, his heart pounding in his chest. "Are you… okay that I'm going to the dance with Ana?"

"Oh, she told you that she totally rejected me before asking you?" Ninten asked.

"Err… no," Ness said. "It's just that she's your friend, and…"

Ninten rolled his eyes.

"Even if I wasn't okay, why should you give a psych?" he asked. "But I am. Why should I care who my friend asks to the dance?"

"But… aren't you bitter that Ana rejected you?" Ness asked.

"Is this getting awkward for you, Ann?" Ninten asked, shooting Ana a smirk.

"No," she said. "It's quite entertaining, actually. Please continue."

"So glad that I'm psyching _entertaining,_ " Ninten said. "As for getting rejected… yeah, it stung, and probably more than I should have. But there's a reason that Ann chose you over me, Ness. You're just flat-out a better person than I. Why should I get mad about her choosing the better person?"

 _…What?_ Ness thought. _Who thinks like that?_

"Maybe we should just sign up," Ana said, looking like she was trying not to laugh. "So that you two don't confuse each other anymore."

Ness and Ninten looked at each other. Neither one voiced an objection.

Ness followed Ninten and Ana into the door of the military base and through some psionic screening device. Ness was surprised at how normal it seemed. He had expected a military base to be filled with people bustling from station to station carrying important documents, but people lounged and chatted like normal. After a short walk, Ness and his friends arrived at a big desk with the words "Sign up and serve your planet!" engraved in a crystalline tablet. Behind the desk stood an elderly man in a sharp business suit who looked rather unremarkable overall.

"That's Geldegarde Monotoli," Ana explained, hiding her voice under the layer of background chatter. "He's the secretary of defense, which means that he'll probably lead the attack on Vulcan."

"Ah, yes," Ninten whispered. "The secretary of _defense._ Because on Ceres, we _never_ attack anyone else, right? I mean, I want to get rid of the empirists just as much as the next guy, but they really need to change their name."

"Agreed," Ana whispered, walking up to the counter. "Excuse me, Mr. Monotoli… we're three psionic students who wish to volunteer for our planet. We're prepared to go to Vulcan for a month."

"Ah," Mr. Monotoli said, his eyes scanning the three teenagers. "You all wish to volunteer? Even you, miss?"

"Is there any reason why I wouldn't?" Ana asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't get me wrong," Mr. Monotoli said, "We need all of the help that we can get. It's just that… things might get messy over on Vulcan. It may offend a lady such as yourself."

"Tell that to Diana Carpainter," Ana said coolly.

Monotoli shrugged, as if to say, _it was just an innocent concern._ Ninten flashed a scowl but thankfully didn't go further.

"All right," Mr. Monotoli said. "Three volunteers for the campaign against the empirists?"

Ness' heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know if he could go forward, but… he had promised himself that he would try. Even if he failed, Ana and Ninten would help him out, right?

"Yes," Ness said, surprised at how neutral his voice sounded. "My name's Ness."

"I'm Ninten, and this is Ana Aniah," Ninten said.

"All right," Mr. Monotoli said, waving his hands and using some sort of psionics. "You have been entered into our system. Thank you for serving your planet, and don't forget to come to the Gate on the day that we depart."

Ness released a sigh.

 _See,_ he told himself. _This is easy. I can do this._

"Thanks," Ninten said. Turning to Ana and Ness, "Well, we just made one of the most important decisions of our life. Who else feels up for ice cream?"

"I think that both of us do," Ana said, smiling as she put her arm around Ness' shoulder. "I'll pay, of course."

"Sounds good," Ness said, feeling his heart start to lighten. "I'm in the mood for celebration."

* * *

Morgan teleported into a room lined with oak furnishings. On Earth, such a room would seem dingy, but on Vulcan, most people couldn't even dream of owning something like this house. Her father Boras sat in a chair across from her, psionic treatments allowing him the physical capabilities of someone thirty years younger than him. Upon seeing Morgan, he sat up straight, an engaged smile spreading across his lips.

"Dad," Morgan said, glad to finally talk to someone who would _listen_. "Minerva Carpainter knows about Coran's death and your ascension to power."

Boras smiled.

"I wouldn't expect anything else from her," he said. "Especially considering how smoothly I took power in this camp. Nobody was killed, thank the Divine Rulers."

 _There were still quite a few injuries, though,_ Morgan thought

"Minerva issued a declaration of war against us," she said, "Just like I predicted."

Boras sat up straight.

"Really?" he asked. "Even though we haven't done anything to her?"

Morgan smiled. Her father was the kindest person that she knew, so he often assumed that everyone else was just as kind.

"Minerva doesn't care about that," Morgan said. "She knows that we're a threat, far more than the empirists under Coran. The attack on Ceres was _disastrous,_ father. It turned popular opinion against us and didn't accomplish a psyching thing. Minerva knows that a charismatic, well-meaning leader like you could make up for some of that. She wants to eradicate us before we can make our pitch to the people."

"Well," Boras said, releasing a weary sigh. "I guess if that's how she wants to play it… maybe I'll get a chance to see my great-nephew."

"Ninten?" Morgan asked. "I don't think that he'll be happy to see you. Coran turned him against our entire group."

Boras shook his head, smiling sadly.

"You're right, of course. I wish that I could have helped Coran."

"His bitterness wasn't your fault," Morgan said.

"I know," Boras said. "I still wish that I could have helped."

"Well, there's no point in reminiscing about the past," Morgan said. "We have to look forward. Have you managed to contact the other empirist bases?"

"Yes," Boras said with a grimace. "They responded with varying degrees of support. As I'm sure you know, a lot of bases under Coran's rule were more… militaristic."

"That's a nice way to say that they raped, pillaged, and murdered," Morgan said.

"I still can't believe that we have to work with those people," Boras muttered, rubbing his temples. "I guess that all I can do is make the best out of it."

 _Why does he care?_ Morgan thought. _They're just tools. So long as we can keep them in line, I don't see why it matters._

"So how many of them are willing to recognize you as the new leader of the empirists and lend their support?" Morgan asked.

"A few," Boras said. "Fewer than I would like. We need to be unified if we want to stand up to President Carpainter. Revolutions don't work if the whole population isn't engaged. To address that… I was thinking about giving a speech to the Vulcanese in the nearby city. Would you help me write it?"

"Of course," Morgan said. "Do you want to start now?"

"Yeah," Boras said, walking over to a table and picking up a sheet of parchment. He paused, cocking his head in thought. "Now, something else has been bugging me. I don't mean to be rude, but you usually complete reconnaissance missions faster than should be humanly possible. Did you get sidetracked this time?"

Morgan blushed.

"I guess that you could say that," she answered.

* * *

Kumatora had to make sure that the piece of paper on her bed wasn't another hallucination. Psych that Monotoli woman for making Kumatora see her worst fears! After receiving hesitant nods and strange looks when she asked people in the halls if they could see the paper, she figured that it was real. But how and why would someone just leave a piece of paper lying on her bed? Looking at it, she read:

 _You come from the planet Aphrodite._

 _Aphrodite was destroyed by nuclear weapons._

 _To discover more, seek out the chimera lab._

Kumatora knew better than to trust the words on the paper. A planet… destroyed? What were "nuclear weapons?" And what in the psych was a "chimera lab?" Kumatora shook her head. None of it made sense.

But that didn't stop a chill from running down her spine.


	31. Chapter 25: Pink-Haired Goddess

_Today, I learned something important about myself._

 _Politics disgust me._

 _So much subtle positioning and secret alliances. Tazmily is supposed to be enemies with this town and friends with that town, but everything changes under the pretense of bullshit excuses._

 _Oh, did I swear? I guess that the world can only be described through the vilest of words._

 _But enough of my bitterness. New Pork City looms over Tazmily, the shadow of its mechanical hand of influence cloaking us in a hazy shadow._

 _Damn. I guess the world had made my language more flowery. I should become a fucking poet._

 _The point is, Tazmily will not last long. It either has to adapt or be crushed. I don't know which one scares me more._

* * *

Jeff looked up from his History of PSI textbook to see his portocom blinking.

 _I haven't gotten a call on that thing for a while,_ Jeff thought. _I guess that most of us have been busy with school and other activities._

He picked the portocom up, and, upon seeing that it was Tony on the calling end, answered it. After a few seconds, the purple sheen of the portocom rippled like a pond, eventually showing Tony's face.

 _Just like a seer with a bowl of water,_ Jeff thought. _An aesthetic touch, perhaps?_

"Jeffster!" Tony exclaimed, the usage of Jeff's silly nickname contrasting with the severity of his tone. "Can I get you over to Kumatora's room?"

"Hmm?" Jeff asked. "I don't mean to be a bother, but… why?"

"It looks like Ms. Monotoli's 'detention' was more serious than we thought."

"But that happened weeks ago!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Kumatora's not hurt anymore," Tony explained, "But she has some things to say that I think that you should hear… and I don't want to risk talking over these devices."

"All right," Jeff said. "I'll be over there."

He shut off the call. A sense of panic overtook him. Just what could have possibly happened?

 _Get over there and find out, genius,_ he told himself.

With a sigh, Jeff walked out of his dormitory room, locking it behind him. He walked briskly down the halls, not wanting to draw attention by running but wanting to make every effort to get over to Kumatora's room as quickly as possible. On his way, he noticed a variety of signs displayed in bright colors on the walls.

"Fight for your planet!"

"Join the defense force to ensure that we live in a safer universe!"

"It is a psion's duty to protect those who have no powers for themselves."

The signs went on and on. Jeff sighed inwardly, glad for the first time in his life that he wasn't a psion. He didn't know how he could stand the pressure…

His train of thought was interrupted by a man wearing fancy robes walking towards him.

"Hello," the man said.

"...Hi?" Jeff replied. "Have we met before?"

"Maybe in spirit," the man said. "Are you a psionic student?"

"No."

"That's too bad," the man said with a broad smile.

 _No, it really isn't,_ Jeff thought.

"Do you have any friends who are psionic students?" the man asked.

"Yes," Jeff said.

"Have you encouraged them to join the fight against the empirists?"

"No."

"Ah," the man said, his words laced with disapproval. "It is your duty as a citizen of Ceres to ensure the safety of other citizens. I think that we would all rest easy if more psions volunteered to serve our planet."

 _I'm not going to tell my friends to die for me!_ Jeff wanted to scream.

"I'll do that," he said curtly.

The man frowned.

"There is no need to be so angry," the man said. "I simply wish to do what is best for this universe. I, too, am volunteering to protect our planet from the empirists."

 _Whoop de do,_ Jeff thought sarcastically. _Does this guy want an award or something?_

"I'm not angry," Jeff said, "And I'm sorry if I came off that way. I want the best for our universe as well."

"I'm glad," the man said, smiling once again. "Now, move along to encourage your friends."

 _I'll be glad to, if it means getting away from here,_ Jeff thought.

 _Ah, why am I so irritable?_ Jeff thought as he walked away. _The man wasn't that bad. Like he said, he just wants to do what's right for the universe. I might disagree with his methods, but I don't think that I should get annoyed at him._

 _...I guess it's just the atmosphere. There's this air that people and posters like him give off. It seems like they want me to support the government of Ceres completely and single-mindedly. Anything less isn't good enough. My tentative agreement isn't good enough._

Jeff sighed. Sometimes, the world made no sense, but this time it made _too much_ sense. The government of Ceres wanted everyone to be its mindless little robots that would support any measure that they issued. While Jeff supported Minerva's cause, he despised her method.

After a few more minutes of walking and reflecting, he arrived at Kumatora's room. Taking a deep breath, he rapped lightly on the door. The door opened, revealing Kumatora's face. She certainly _seemed_ alright…

"Hey," Kumatora said. Her voice sounded less energetic than it normally did.

"Uh… hi," Jeff said.

The two of them stared at each other awkwardly.

"Are you two just going to stand there?" Tony asked from inside. "Come in, Jeffster!"

Jeff was more than happy to comply with the request. He walked into Kumatora's room, glad to have some excuse to break the awkward atmosphere hanging between them.

"Wow," Jeff said, "Your room is so much…"

"Better than yours?" Kumatora asked.

"Honestly, yeah," Jeff answered. "Not that ours are bad."

Kumatora nodded curtly. Where was her sunny attitude today?

"Kuma," Tony said, "Tell Jeffster what you told me."

"All right," she said. Turning to Jeff, "When Ms. Montoli called me in for detention, she used some stupid-ass psionic power to make me hallucinate what I fear most."

"Divine Rulers!" Jeff exclaimed. "I'm… sorry, Kumatora. I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't," she replied. "How could you have gotten an idea? Anyways, I've gotten over it. The worst part was returning to reality after the whole thing was done and not being sure if I was still hallucinating. I couldn't even remember how the pain felt ten minutes after the hallucinations stopped."

"So seeing your worst nightmares didn't scar you?" Jeff asked.

"What the hell is inside of me to scar?" Kumatora asked, gesturing towards herself. "Nothing. Nothing that I know of. Sure, I saw scary things, _terrifying_ things, but I didn't even know what was going on. My fears tie into my past, and I don't even know what my past is. I can't be afraid of something that I know nothing about."

Jeff wasn't sure why that made him feel so sad.

"Tell him the interesting part, Kuma," Tony said.

"I saw… _things,_ " Kumatora said. "I know that a toddler could be more descriptive, but I don't know how to explain them much better. Cities of stained glass. Unnaturally beautiful people. Me standing next to two of those people, smiling. None of it made sense."

"That's… interesting," Jeff said, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't you see, Jeffster?" Tony asked. "She could be remembering parts of her past!"

Kumatora nodded.

"I saw the city of glass shatter. I saw those beautiful people die right before my eyes. I cared about the two of them standing next to me, I think. They died gruesomely. That was what I feared most, Jeff, even if I didn't know it until then." She paused. "In my fears, a shadow loomed over the universe… Jeff, have you ever heard of a thing called _Giygas?_ "

"Giygas?" Jeff asked. For some reason, that name made him shiver. "No. He doesn't appear in any history books that I've read."

"And you've probably read the entire library," Tony said. "How about a city of glass? Is there such a thing on Aphrodite?"

"Not that I know of," Jeff said. Noting Kumatora's disappointed face, he continued, "Although that seems more likely. Aphrodite has always been secluded and secretive. Nobody really knows what happened over the past millennium."

"And another race of people?" Kumatora asked. "People that just look… perfect?"

"No," Jeff said. "I don't think that's possible."

"So you're saying that I'm crazy," Kumatora said flatly. "That what I saw isn't real."

 _Why so prickly?_ Jeff thought.

"Maybe we should look in the library on some of the stuff that you talked about, Kuma," Tony cut in. "I was joking about Jeff having read that entire thing."

Kumatora nodded slowly.

"...Sorry for lashing out at you, Jeff," she said.

"It's okay," Jeff replied. "I can't pretend to know how it feels to think in the back of your mind that you might be crazy."

"Thanks," she said, a weak smile popping up on her face. "When do you want to go to the library?"

"Now?" Jeff suggested.

"But the dance is starting soon, right?" Kumatora said.

"Ah, psych that," Tony said. "The library will be nice and empty with everyone at the dance."

"For once, I agree with your choice of activities," Jeff said. "Let's see what we can find!"

"Thanks," Kumatora said. "You two are awesome. While we're there… I want to research something else. People say it's a myth, but I think that it might be real."

Jeff's heart skipped a beat.

"What is it?" Tony asked.

Kumatora glanced at the ground and sighed. She looked back up, her eyes showing uncharacteristic signs of fear.

"The chimera labs," she said.

* * *

"Do you think that I look okay?" Ness asked, looking at himself in the mirror. His blue robes _did_ seem a little long…

"You look fine," Ana said. "And even if you didn't, everyone else is going to be so worried about how they look that they won't even notice you."

"I never thought about it that way," Ness said, turning around and looking at Ana. She always managed to look nice without putting much effort in it.

"We still have thirty minutes until the dance starts," Ana said. "Do you want to chill for a while, or…?"

"I think that we should go," Ness said. "I don't want to be late."

"I think that you'll have more fun if you loosen up a little," Ana observed. "You look so stiff!"

 _Do I?_ Ness thought.

With considerable effort, he forced his tensed body back into a normal state.

"I'm sorry," Ness said. "I just… tend to screw up so many things that I want this to go _right._ "

"I know the feeling," Ana said with a smile. "But remember: you have nine more dances after this one in your school career. Even if you mess up this time, you'll have plenty of opportunities to try again."

"I know," Ness said, "But it doesn't _feel_ that way."

"I understand," Ana said, "And I'm willing to help. Do you want to head over there now?"

"Yes, please," Ness said, releasing the breath that he had been unconsciously been holding in.

Ana lead Ness out of the dorm and towards the ballroom. During that time, Ness couldn't help but worry. He didn't know _why_ he was worrying so much; compared to his struggles on Vulcan, this was nothing.

"Do you ever feel guilty for worrying about something, Ana?" Ness asked. "When you know that something isn't a big deal, but you just can't stop thinking about it?"

"All the time," Ana answered. "One of the things that I admire about Ninten is how he _doesn't_ feel guilty about stuff like that. But hey, we all have our strengths, and there is a reason that I picked you over him."

Ness smiled. Why did it feel so good to hear that?

"Thanks," he said. "But… I don't know if I can even compare to Ninten. He's so smart and strong and-"

"And none of that really matters," Ana interrupted. "Yeah, he's awesome, but you're awesome too. That's why both of you found people to go to the dance with."

Ness sure didn't _feel_ like he was awesome.

"Well," Ana said, "Looks like we're right about there."

Ness took a deep breath, looking at the entrance to the ballroom. He could see lights shining brightly on the inside, casting shadows that stretched out the door. His heart pounded in his chest.

"Here we go," Ana said, leading him in.

* * *

How funny it was that Ness had asked Ana about guilt. But it was the kind of funny that made Ana want to cry rather than laugh.

 _Peace,_ she told herself. _Serenity. Ness is relying on you. He looks up to you…_

Now _that_ was funny. Ana had always been so wrapped up in her own problems that she had never considered the _possibility_ of providing emotional support before the school year had started. She looked at Ness, who smiled shyly.

"There are refreshments over on the far sides of the dance floor," Ana said. "Do you want to split up and meet when it's time to dance?"

"Sure!" Ness exclaimed, his face lighting up.

 _So eager,_ Ana thought. _Just like how Ninten used to be._

Memories came to Ana's mind, happy memories of her and Ninten playing together

 _Gah!_ she thought, struggling to keep her face neutral. _I can't afford to think about those. The past is in the past; I can't go back._

Maybe that would have been easier to accept if the future weren't so bleak.

 _There I go again,_ Ana thought. _Whining about my own problems. Thank the Divine Rulers that my prefrontal cortex is good enough to prevent me from acting on my impulses. If not…_ Ana shuddered.

 _But honestly,_ she told herself. _I'm lucky. My parents truly care about me, I live comfortably, and at least I have a future in front of me. Every time I think about all of the kids who starve to death on Vulcan, my heart breaks a little._

Ana sighed. Thinking was dangerous. Then again, not thinking was probably more dangerous. She walked around the edges of the room, picking up appetizers. At least the taste helped curb her anxiety. She talked to people who she vaguely knew, knowing that she wouldn't remember the conversations ten minutes later. She debated whether or not to get drunk and decided to refrain. She needed to be a pillar for Ness to lean on.

 _Why am I such a psyching downer today?_ Ana thought. _I mean, I'm always a downer, but it's not normally this bad._

Ana thought for a few minutes, hiding her mind's intense workings under the guise of ladylike daintiness.

 _I guess I'm sad because I know that this entire dance is meaningless,_ Ana thought. _I always try to create little perfect worlds for those around me, but in the end I accomplish nothing. What will this dance mean to Ness and Paula six months from now? Nothing. Nothing at all. My plans to make Ness feel better… My guilt at not being able to love him… None of it even matters._

That left a sour taste in Ana's mouth. She _hated_ not being able to control the world around her.

 _At least I can hide my sorrow,_ she thought.

Most people thought that Ana was perpetually calm and happy. Sometimes, she could almost convince herself that they were right. But in times like these, she had to face the truth.

She wasn't usually calm. She wasn't usually happy. She could just hide any negative emotions under an empty smile. Psionics required complete control of the mind, so Ana had learned long ago how to hypnotize herself to resist reflex urges. Her system wasn't perfect, but it was _enough._

After all, could really claim that they did anything perfectly?

* * *

"Hey, Ninten!" Ness exclaimed. "You got here early too! Err… Hi, Paula."

This was the first time that Ness had seen Ninten dressed in formal clothing. He had expected Ninten to look awkward in the customary robes that people wore to formal outings, but the American looked sharp in his new outfit. Ness had seen Paula dress formally before, so her appearance didn't surprise him as much.

"Thanks to Paula, we got here early," Ninten said with a smile. "Where's Ana?"

"She's over somewhere by herself," Ness said. "You know, since the dance hasn't actually started yet…"

"Yeah, we get the idea," Ninten said. "Paula, do you want to do something like that, or would you prefer to stick together?"

"…I want to stick together," Paula answered.

It _did_ seem obvious that Paula was in love with Ninten. Even the way that she looked at him carried more passion than Ness could remember coming from her.

 _But then again, we're in the same position,_ Ness thought. _I'm kind of crazy for Ana, but I don't know how to show it in a way that isn't bothersome._

He resisted the urge to sigh. Even when it worked out, romance could be so _awkward._

"So Ness," Ninten said, his mouth twitching upward to form a smirk. "Do you want to talk about Vulcan, or should we just focus on the dance for now?"

"…Let's just focus on the dance," Ness said. "I'm still going back and forth on the whole Vulcan thing. Some days, I feel super motivated, but on others…" Ness trailed off.

"Yeah, we humans tend to do that," Ninten said. "It's called 'mood,'"

"I know _that,_ " Ness said, "But it seems a little unnatural."

"Nature does that," Ninten said with a shrug. "And by the way, aren't you two supposed to be childhood friends? I know that there's some stuff between you two, but you hardly acknowledge each other's existence."

"…Sorry," Paula said.

"Hey, not saying that you need to apologize to anyone," Ninten said, squeezing Paula's hand. "I just think that you two should act more like friends. And if you think that I'm dead wrong, feel free to tell me that."

"So, uh…" Ness said. "You're okay if I talk to Paula?"

Ninten blinked.

"Who the psych are you asking?" he said. "Are Paula's parents waiting in the shadows or something?"

"Err…"

Ninten rolled his eyes.

"I understand, Ness," he said, more softly this time. "It's just that even if I say no, you really shouldn't care. Who am I to restrict who she talks to?"

"You know how some boyfriends get, Ninten," Paula said. "I really appreciate you giving me this freedom. I was always taught that I was supposed to be submissive."

 _But you didn't really act like that,_ Ness thought. _Not when we were younger._

"Hey, I'm not _giving_ you anything," Ninten said. "The freedom is there for you to take. If I try to restrict you, I'm an asshole. Well, more of one than I already am."

Paula smiled. She turned to Ness, cringing slightly.

"I'm sorry," she said to him. "I'm still a bit afraid of you. But… is there anything that you want to talk about?"

"I guess there is," Ness said. "This is going to sound weird, but… how's your life been? We hadn't seen each other for years before the school year started. What have you done?"

"Not much," Paula said with a grimace. "After we moved to Twoson, my parents tried to keep me more isolated from the outside world. They're empirists, and they didn't think that most of the people in Twoson were 'worthy.' They think that god wants them to implement another emperor."

"Even though pretty much every emperor to ever exist was anti-religion?" Ninten asked.

"Yeah," Paula said. "I still don't understand that part. Wouldn't god want a more open society for us to prove ourselves in? Anyways, I spent most of my time preparing to be a noble lady and practicing my psionics."

"That sounds… pretty boring," Ness said.

"Doesn't it?" Paula asked, a smile lighting up her face. "I missed you a lot, Ness. Not that…" she turned to Ninten, who only raised an eyebrow.

"Not that what?" Ninten asked.

"She doesn't want to make it seem like she loves you any less, even though she missed me," Ness explained.

"Oh," Ninten said. "Well, it's like I said. Feel free to miss whoever you want."

Paula sighed. Right then, music started playing. People scrambled to make their way to the dance floor. Ana walked up to Ness and his friends, moving surprisingly quickly in her dress and impractical shoes.

"You ready to go, Ness?" Ana asked, holding out a hand.

"Yeah," Ness answered, adrenaline rushing through his body as he took Ana's hand. Turning back to Ninten and Paula, "See you two later!"

Ana lead Ness onto the dance floor. Fortunately for him, most of the dances were classical, making them relatively simple. Unfortunately for him, he still didn't know what he was doing. However, the way that Ana lead him through the motions made him look _good._ He really didn't have to do much of anything, other than respond to Ana's light tugs. It amazed him how easily he was able to follow her motions. Something as simple as tilting her hand alerted Ness to the next step.

"How… how are you doing this?" Ness asked. "I've never danced before in my life. How are you covering up for both of us?"

Ana laughed.

"I have a lot of experience in this area," she said. "Experience that I would frankly rather not have received. But as an ex-noble lady on Ceres, there are certain… _recreations_ that are basically required. My parents would have fought back, but I told them that it wasn't worth the effort."

Ness smiled, feeling himself slowly relax.

"There we go," Ana said. "Doesn't this feel better, now that you're not as tense?"

"Yeah," Ness said. "It really does."

For most of his life, Ness' dependent nature caused him issues, from bullying to homesickness. It had caused him to feel guilty about who he was. Now he didn't even care. It just felt so _good_ to feel safe, to trust Ana to lead him through this dance of life.

"Ana," Ness said softly. "Thanks for this. You didn't have to make the effort to reach out to me, but you did. That… means the world to me."

Ana smiled, and even her body reverberated with joy.

"You're welcome," she said. "I enjoy helping people. It's so _wonderful_ seeing you grow."

Why couldn't more people act this way? Why couldn't more people _care_ about others?

"Let's see if I can keep this up," Ness said, breaking out into a grin as worries and stressed faded into mist. "Let's see if I can face my past on Vulcan."

"Yes," Ana said, her voice warming his heart as their eyes connected. "Let's."

* * *

"Hey," Tony said. "Do you think that this book could be good, Jeff? It's about weird aliens and stuff. Maybe it has the beautiful people who Kumatora saw in there."

True to Tony's prediction, the library _was_ empty. Jeff, Tony, and Kumatora had been searching for hours, but they had found nothing relating to what she had claimed to see in her hallucinations. While Jeff felt content to keep going, he noticed that searching through piles of books was starting to drain the other two.

"I guess," Jeff said. "I mean, the race of people that Kumatora saw could have been aliens."

 _But that makes no sense,_ he thought. _Aliens would have evolved to look different than we do. The fact that they even conform to our standards of beauty makes me skeptical._

"So many books," Kumatora muttered, rubbing her eyes as she let a tome fall to the ground with a light thud. "So little information."

Jeff wanted to defend the books, but he held himself back. No point in annoying an already irritated Kumatora.

"I don't think that you'll find anything in those books," came a voice from behind Jeff. He turned around to see Poo, the Dalaamian prince, with a curious expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Kumatora snapped.

"Same thing as you," Poo answered. "Taking advantage of some quiet time."

"What did you hear about me?" Kumatora asked.

"Almost everything," Poo said. "I was studying a few shelves over, so it was quite easy for me to hear. You three are rather chatty when it comes to strange hallucinations."

"Why aren't you at the dance?" Jeff asked.

"I'm not supposed to mingle with outsiders," Poo said, "And that includes attending your social events."

 _That seems like a legitimate reason,_ Jeff thought. _So why do I get the feeling that he was stalking us?_

"Poo," Tony said. "Don't you know a bit about Kumatora's past?"

"Yes," Poo said, "But I know nothing that would help you. We met only briefly. Like I said, I don't think that you will find any information where you are looking."

"Then where do you suggest looking?" Kumatora demanded.

"The mythology section," Poo said.

Jeff blinked, looking at Poo's face. He seemed completely serious.

"Why?" Jeff asked.

"Because there happens to be an enigma of a goddess who appears in multiple religions throughout history, even when it doesn't seem to make sense," Poo said. "Her name is Lorraine Olvna Var Entaire, or just Lorraine for short. Different cultures don't agree on what she represents, but they all depict her as a beautiful woman with pink hair."

"Wait a minute," Tony said. "Did you just say…?"

"Pink hair, yes," Poo finished.

Everyone turned to look at Kumatora, who scowled.

"Are you saying that I'm a psyching _goddess?_ " Kumatora asked. "Because I can assure you that I'm not."

"What I am saying," Poo replied, "Is that you've survived things you shouldn't have. Does anyone have an explanation for how you broke through Ceres' dome?"

"That doesn't make me a goddess!" Kumatora shouted.

"I agree with Kumatora," Jeff said. "Humans naturally tend to read too much into coincidences. Yes, her circumstances are strange, but they're not _that_ strange."

Kumatora shot him a thankful look.

"I'm just saying that you might want to look into it," Poo said with a shrug. "Whether or not you take my advice is completely up to you. But… I would avoid messing with the chimera labs."

"Are you saying that they're real?" Jeff asked.

"I'm saying that you don't want to find out any more," Poo replied. "Take that as you will. And may I offer one last piece of advice?"

"Go for it," Tony said. "Just make it quick."

"I would watch your backs if I were you," Poo said. "Especially in less populated areas. I would hate to see any of you… disappear."

A chill ran down Jeff's spine.

"Is that a threat?" Kumatora asked.

"It's a warning," Poo said. "And another warning, Miss Kumatora. You're turning into who you used to be. Do you really want to look further into your past, knowing that it will make you a bitter person?"

"I thought you said that you were done with advice," Tony muttered.

"I am now," Poo said. "Best of luck to you all."

With a nod, the Dalaamian Prince walked away, leaving Jeff with an empty feeling in his stomach.

"I think that we should call it a day," Tony said with a yawn. "I don't know about you, but I'm sick of reading. I think that I may have developed a paper allergy."

"What about the mythology thing?" Jeff asked.

"We can research that later," Tony said. "Not that it matters."

Kumatora nodded.

"I was really more interested about the chimera labs, anyway."

"Were you, dearie?" came yet _another_ voice from behind Jeff. Only this time, it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

 _Was she spying on us from the beginning as well? It seems like everyone is interested in us today._

"Ms. Monotoli," Tony whispered, his voice dangerously low. "I thought that you were fired."

"I was," came the falsely sweet reply. Jeff turned around to look at her. Something about her looked more… desperate. "And I'll admit that I was wrong."

"Get the _fuck_ out of here," Kumatora hissed.

"But aren't you interested in the chimera labs?" Ms. Monotoli asked innocently.

"Get out," Kumatora repeated.

"You won't find any information on the labs in this library," Ms. Monotoli continued, not seeming fazed by Kumatora. "I'm sure you know how government censorship works. There _is_ a place in this school where you can go, however."

"Where is that?" Jeff asked hesitantly, not wanting to anger Kumatora.

"The staff archives," Ms. Monotoli answered. "I'm sure that you've heard of it, yes?"

"We tried to sneak in before," Tony admitted.

 _And that was where we first saw you,_ Jeff thought.

Kumatora growled.

"I still have my staff key," Ms. Monotoli said, pulling out a purple stone engraved with Latin letters. "If you hold this while trying to open the door, it will let you in."

She tossed the stone to Tony, who snatched it out of the air with a dangerous look in his eye.

"What's the catch?" Tony demanded. "What do you want from us?"

"Nothing," Ms. Montoli said. "I don't have any loyalty to this school, not anymore. They fired me, so why should I care about students sneaking into places where they're not allowed, hmm? But what you do with that key is your choice and yours alone. Kumatora…" Ms. Montoli's eyes shone with regret. "I'm sorry. Maybe someday, you'll know how I felt, how true desperation feels."

"Never," Kumatora hissed. "I will _never_ be like you."

"Maybe not," Ms. Montoli said, turning around, "But maybe so."

As her footsteps moved away, Jeff looked at the stone in Tony's hand.

"What are we going to do with it?" Jeff asked. "Do you think that it even works?"

"Psych if I know," Tony answered. "…I guess we'll have to think about this, huh?"

"It's what nerds like you do best," Kumatora muttered. She could even make _that_ sentence sound spiteful.

"Yeah," Jeff said, looking at the seemingly endless rows of books for some semblance of meaning. "But I've never had to think about something like _this._ "

* * *

Minerva Carpainter sat alone in a room, the view from a spaceship above Vulcan appearing on her wall, courtesy of her scrying psionics.

 _This is what Vulcan looks like,_ she thought, staring at the image that her psionics had let her see. _So much has changed over the past two years, but Vulcan's barren landscape has not been one of them._

Minerva's stomach started tying itself into knots. She resisted the urge to laugh.

 _How ironic,_ she thought. _I've never felt more constrained in my life._

People said that presidents had to make hard decisions, but they didn't. They didn't really get to make decisions at all. Minerva had known for the longest time that she would have to stamp out the empirists, but she never had the heart to do it. Not after…

Minerva cringed. The past was in the past. No good brooding on it.

She took another look at the panoramic view from the spaceship displayed on her wall. She focused her mind, zooming in on a village in the distance. Strange. It almost looked like a town on Earth. Minerva shook her head. This was where the empirists resided. They were _enemies._ Their town shouldn't look so… normal.

But how bad were they? Sure, their uprisings and protests had already costed thousands of lives and would continue to claim more if they were allowed to flourish, but was their view of the world really that bad?

No. Minerva was living proof of that.

 _I have to face the truth,_ she thought. _I'm not attacking them because I think it's the right thing to do. I'm attacking them because I'm scared. Even obtaining the most powerful position in the universe can't stop me from being the little girl afraid of her father's beatings 30 years ago._

Minerva started laughing. She was about to start a war that would change the fate of thousands, but she had never before felt so powerless.

 _Ah, psych it,_ she thought. _I'll just get it over with._

Minerva closed her eyes, reaching out with her psionic touch. Embedded in the back of her mind, she found an army of ectoplasm-made warriors that she could direct, just like pieces on a chessboard. She would map out the general movements, and the psionically crafted warriors would do the dirty work.

And just like in chess, a piece that strikes first by entering an enemy's square always comes out on top.

It was a technology unknown to most of her advisors, even Megan. Minerva wasn't proud of it, but if she could use so that real people wouldn't have to die… well, what ruler would say no to that?

 _Focus._

In her mind, she mapped out the location of all of her ectoplasmic warriors. With her heart in the throat, she gave them the mental signal to charge. Opening her eyes, she saw her ships dropping green, gooey soldiers that vaguely resembled humans onto the streets of Vulcan. Each one of them marched towards the empirist camp in the near distance.

 _It begins,_ Minerva thought.


	32. Chapter 26: Sweet Dreams

**Hey, everyone! Happy day before Thanksgiving, if you guys celebrate that. :)**

 **You know how I said that I was planning to end this story by ch. 28? It turns out that I wrote more than I thought I would (shocker, right? It's not like I said that this whole story was going to be 200k words or anything like that. Pshhh). So, 30 chapters. I'm done with the rough draft of chapters 28 and 29... I'll try to get ch. 28 up either tomorrow or Friday, and then chapters 29 and 30 by Sunday. And it's not like these chapters are shorter than most, either. Some of them (like this one) are longer. So yeah... sorry if you only wanted three more chapters, but I didn't want to post 8k word chapters. 4-6k is much more manageable. :)**

 **Anyways, this chapter contains quite a bit of setup for events that I** ** _thought_** **would make it into this story but... didn't. More Lucas stuff is going to happen in book 2, so this is the last time that we get to see him.**

 **Also, I think that I'm going to change the title of this story after I'm done updating. I think that the entire trilogy is going to be called "Ceres," so I need to come up with a different name for this story. I think that I have one...**

 **Also, I'm going to be working pretty much exclusively on Time Distorter during December, so you probably won't see the sequel to this story for a while. :( I've kinda been blowing off Fox lately, so I really should get this story done with quickly so I can work with her haha.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Guest:** Yep, love or hate cliffhangers, they're a part of my writing. :) Next chapter (the one that's part of this update) has a cliffhanger as well. :D And so does ch. 28. And thanks! :) Yeah, my chapters take a while to get through haha. Epic fantasy sure doesn't read itself. Ah, it's good that Ana's parents remind you of your own. :) And yeah, the secretary of defense is related to the teacher, but it's a big family, so they're not necessarily closely related.

Sad, depressing one-shot without death? Yeah, those are pretty much standard for short stories, actually. Generally, your main focus should be establishing the character's voice, which should be sad/cynical/depressed/whatever in an interesting way. Think about what in a character's life could make them feel that way about the world and go from there. As for content, there's plenty. Drugs, depression, family issues (I've always wanted to write something about a divorce), school problems, racism, classism... the list goes on and on.

The best way to write a sad ending (imo) is to leave the reader with a powerful message about something wrong with the world. Make them attached to the main character and then have the main character fail in the way that proves a point (so not game of thrones style). An example would be having a character who's dealing with family issues end up sitting in her room with the music on max volume, huddling in the corner in an attempt to block out reality. Sad endings usually work better for short stories because the reader feels less cheated if they only know the character for a few pages before they meet with a sad ending.

 **DarkFoxKit:** Ah, yes. Romantic tension. It's something that I've never encountered myself (because I've never been in a romantic relationship haha), so I hope that I can pull it off convincingly. And yeah, both sides usually think that they're right in what they do. If I were put in this world, I honestly don't know which side I would choose. :)

 **PSIBoy:** Well, it's a little different from the Hunger Games because the gilded society of Ceres is a result of historical class difference rather than one evil dude, but yeah. The society isn't pretty (but than again, which society _is_ pretty?). And we'll see how it plays out. :) I just always see that sentiment in epic fantasy heroes, so I decided to put it in Morgan because she's in a similar situation. More on Boras this chapter (and maybe next, I don't remember where I put things anymore haha). :)

Yeah, but a lot of societies glorify war and stuff. Since you're interested in history, I'm sure that you know attitudes of American society during the Civil War and WWII. If you didn't want to fight, you were called a coward. Ceres is designed to mimic America in many ways, and that's one of them. And yeah, Ninten doesn't really have any idea of how Ana feels on the inside. People like her are just so good at hiding how they feel, and we humans tend not to look past the surface. And you'll see how Minerva's plan plays out during these chapters. :)

 **crabbyTomato:** For future reference, if a chapter doesn't have an AN then it's part of a double update. ;) I'm trying to remember if there are things in the next chapter that spoil this one (I just moved scenes around, so I don't know what thing goes where xD)... I think that there is one. So hopefully you read this one first. :) Well, that's the reaction that I was hoping for from Boras, Minerva, and Duster, so I guess that I didn't to a terrible job on their characters. Yeah, Catholics in this story tend to be annoying because a lot of them are already the type of people to act self-important, so they use religion to put others down. It's a result of Catholicism being more of a fringe religion in this universe (the majority of people are atheists).

I know, I'm totally clueless when it comes to writing romance as well, considering that I've never been in a romantic relationship before. Yeah, those parts of the characters just kinda came out during that chapter (except for Ana. I have her personality mapped out pretty thoroughly... although she does differ from it in upcoming chapters. These characters always seem to want to do their own things xD). And yeah, those memories do belong to Kuma. Dang, I didn't know that about FDR. O.O Thanks! :)

 **Phoesong:** Heh, I don't really see reviewing as a skill in the first place. :) Although I guess offering good suggestions kinda is. Thanks! :) And yeah, I wouldn't know either if other people did the thing that I did with Ninten and Ana because I don't read a whole lot of fanfiction myself (it's a struggle to get me to read an actual book haha). Aww, thanks! ;D

...The Mother 1 handbook? Such a thing exists? xD But yeah, I feel no particular need to make characters stick to their profiles, especially since this is an AU where weirder things happen. Hey, I don't mind you talking about stuff that I posted a while ago. It's all old news to me because I thought up most of this during July and August haha. Although, the whole thing on Vulcan didn't form in my head until October. And if you've read up to here, you'll know what Lucas is up to. :) And I totally don't mind! Knowing what I'm doing well is as important as knowing what I'm doing wrong.

 **A Fan:** All right. :) No worries! It's not like you have some obligation to review this story or anything.

 **Orangeflight of ShadowClan:** Glad to know that you're alive! ;) Thanks for letting me know!

* * *

 _I'm so sick of killing chimeras._

 _These animal hybrids look like they were thought up by a five-year old, which makes it all the more chilling that they can lay waste to entire cities._

 _In the face of such a threat, Tazmily stands no chance._

 _As an example, a pair of chimeras mauled the town's mayor, Flint, to death in the center square while the pigmasks restrained the rest of us. Only afterwards did I learn that he was Lucas' father. I expected Lucas to be crushed (because that's what people are supposed to do when they lose a family member, right?), but he didn't seem to care._

 _I don't know that that means. This is the first opportunity I've had to think about it. Because after the chimeras mauled Flint, they went into the woods and tried to kill Claus. I still don't know how that stubborn kid managed to survive, even with me and Lucas helping._

 _After all of that killing, I'm tired. I want to go to sleep. But I can't, not yet._

 _Not while I can still fight._

* * *

Morgan Lorune entered a house on the planet Vulcan. She wore her mask, as was standard for people who could afford them. She could have used her psionics to cleanse her lungs every once in a while, but she wanted to conserve energy. She spotted Duster sitting inside, also wearing a mask.

"How's your leg holding up?" Morgan asked.

"Better," Duster replied, standing up. He took a few steps forward, walking with a visible limp. "Still annoying, though. But I can't really complain; our psions healed me up to the best of their abilities and I was stupid to let Ninten beat me in the first place. One question, though… why didn't you heal me, Lorune?"

Morgan fought down the urge to come up with an excuse. She had promised herself years ago never to lie to herself again.

"I can't," she said. "A psion's mental processes determine his or her performance in a specific area. I literally cannot heal someone because I don't care about life. I feel absolutely no difference if someone who I don't have a personal connection with lives or dies. I don't like that part of myself, but it's definitely there."

"Interesting…" Duster said, not seeming fazed. "So why fight for the empirists if you don't care about saving people?"

"Because I detest lies," Morgan said. "I want people to see the truth behind Minerva Carpainter."

Right then, Morgan started to detect something strange. It was some sort of psionic aura… but nothing like what she had ever seen before.

"What's wrong, Lorune?" Duster asked. "You look like you're about to vomit."

That was when she heard the screams.

Morgan dashed out the door into the small, empirist village. She could have never expected what stood before her: an army of green, blob-like figures molded into humanoid shapes. They carried a variety of weapons.

 _They're made out of ectoplasm,_ Morgan realized. _Someone created that army from their mind._

But if that were the case, then there needed to be a psion nearby controlling the warriors. Morgan scanned the area for mind shields. Nothing. The only thing that she detected was the strange psionic aura coming from the ectoplasmic warriors.

 _That makes no sense,_ Morgan thought as she blasted a pair of blob warriors with PK Fire, reducing them to jelly. _There must be a psion nearby, but I can't sense him._

Unless…

Morgan dashed over to what was left of the ectoplasmic warriors that she had blasted. Her psionic senses honed in on the aura: it was somewhere _within_ the blob. She stuck her hand in the goo and found something solid. She ripped it out from the ectoplasm, holding it up to her face.

It was… A needle colored gold?

 _Greetings, Morgan,_ a voice spoke in her head. _It's been a while, has it not?_

Upon hearing that voice, Morgan felt the urge to blow something up.

 _Minerva,_ she spoke back. _I suppose that it has…_

How was Minerva communicating with her? Telepathy shouldn't reach that far… Morgan scanned the area again and detected no signs of a psion.

Wait.

 _You're talking to me through the needle,_ Morgan said mentally.

 _Correct._

 _You're controlling the ectoplasmic warriors with these needles,_ Morgan continued. _That's why you wanted them so badly in the first place._

 _My, you do catch on quickly. You always have, I suppose._

Morgan gritted her teeth. She could have _never_ expected something like this. Who would have ever thought that Minerva had an army of pseudo-robotic warriors up her sleeve? Morgan had planned on Minerva not being able to send over many soldiers due to the cost of shipping supplies, but these soldiers didn't need to eat, drink, or rest. It just didn't seem fair.

As if to prove her point, another ectoplasmic soldier appeared out of thin air, forming over the remains of another gooey warrior. Morgan noted that a needle identical to the one that she held was embedded in the new soldier's foot.

 _You can use your psionics through the needle as if you were here rather than on Ceres,_ Morgan said mentally, _Which is how you're communicating with me telepathically. So the soldiers move around, letting you use psionics from wherever they are, which allows you to create more soldiers…_

Morgan felt a chill run down her spine. Minerva had discovered the secret to a practically immortal army. If one soldier fell, she could just resurrect it through the needle.

 _My, I didn't expect you to figure it out that quickly,_ Minerva replied.

"Lorune!" Duster yelled, running towards Morgan. "What _are_ those… things?"

 _Perhaps I should show him, Hmm?_ Minerva asked.

If Minerva could use telepathy and metacreativity psionics through the needles, she probably had access to other disciplines as well. That meant… Morgan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No!" she yelled. "Duster, get back!"

 _Too late,_ Minerva said.

The ectoplasmic soldier standing in front of Morgan moved its hands and made sounds just like a psion would when manifesting a power. A ball of fire streaked from the soldier's hands, hitting Duster and incinerating him in less than a second. Morgan gasped, looking at the pile of ash that used to be Duster's body.

 _I am truly sorry for this, Morgan,_ Minerva said. _But I can't have you causing more deaths with your uprisings, yes?_

 _Goodbye!_ Morgan shouted, throwing the needle on the ground and teleporting away.

* * *

"Dad!" Morgan shouted, materializing into Boras Lorune's room. "Huh. He's not here."

Morgan ran out the door and through the streets of the village, blasting Minerva's lifeless soldiers as she went. It didn't take long for her to find her father, along with the rest of the empirists. Most were civilians, huddling together. About a hundred fighters guarded the civilians, trying to fend off the ectoplasmic warriors. The five other psions in the camp stood in the middle, blasting Minerva's soldiers with their psionics.

"Is this everyone?" Morgan shouted.

Boras nodded, slicing through an ectoplasmic warrior with his sword. Even though her father was 82 years old, he sure could _fight._

"Other psions!" Morgan yelled. "We have to work together to teleport everyone out! I can't take everyone by myself…" Morgan trailed off as she noticed a _huge_ spike of psionic power hurdling towards her.

Time seemed to slow down. The ball of psionic power inched closer to the empirist village. Judging by the strength of the attack, Minerva was probably using some sort of PK power to try and wipe the empirists off the map. Morgan didn't have time to talk. She had to act _now._

"Teleport!" Morgan yelled.

She immediately felt the _weight_ of trying to teleport so many people away. Morgan screamed, trying to push forward towards sanctuary. She extended her arms outward even though she knew that spreading out the weight wouldn't help. In her mind, she saw a meteor that represented what she had to overcome to teleport so many people. Morgan _pushed_ on the meteor, _pushed_ on the weight. It didn't budge.

 _Forget Sisyphus,_ she thought grimly. _This is even harder than rolling a boulder up a hill._

But Morgan had never backed down just because something was hard.

 _Dad,_ Morgan thought. _Think about dad. The universe needs him alive!_

It had probably been less than a second since Morgan had started manifesting the teleport power, but it felt like an eternity. Could she really push further?

Yes. She had to.

Increasing the volume of her scream, Morgan pushed harder than she had ever before during her life. She didn't stop when she felt like the world itself was about to crush her. Morgan opened her eyes, her vision registering only pain.

"TELEPORT!" she screamed.

She vaguely felt her body, and the bodies of so many other people, warp away. As she felt herself coming into existence in a new location, she didn't bother to look at her surroundings. Her head throbbed more than she had thought possible.

 _I… did it,_ Morgan thought weakly. _Most psions my strength can teleport a hundred people, maximum. I probably did four or five times that many. I did it…_

Morgan fell unconscious on the floor.

* * *

Jeff Andonuts stood at the entrance to the Gate to Prosperity, his heart weighing like a brick in his chest.

"I'm sorry that we didn't get the chance to talk more, Jeff," Ness said, his eyes carrying a sort of melancholy wisdom. "Things have been crazy lately."

"And nothing's more crazy than this," Jeff muttered. "You're going to Vulcan. Psyching Vulcan!"

"I think that's the first time I've heard you swear," Ness said.

 _How can you be so calm?_ Jeff wanted to shout. _How can you act so nervous all the time yet feel perfectly fine fighting in a war?_

"I guess," Jeff said. "But… just think about it, Ness! You could die out there!"

"I've been chatting with Kumatora," Ness said. "You and Tony went out during the night of the starman attack. You could have died then, too."

"That… was different," Jeff said. "I knew what I was doing!"

"I know what I'm doing too," Ness said, putting his hand on Jeff's shoulder. "I've been on Vulcan before; I know what it's like."

"You… _have?_ " Jeff asked, not bothering to hide his surprise. "When?"

"Two years ago," Ness answered. "I still haven't gotten over that… incident with Apollo Carpainter."

"I think that any encounter with Apollo Carpainter is a little bit more than an _incident,_ " Jeff said.

"I suppose," Ness said with a shrug. "But no matter what it is, I think that I need to leave it behind."

Ness pulled out a purple crystal from his pocket, tossing it to Jeff.

"What's this?" Jeff asked, taking a close look at the crystal. It seemed to _whisper_ to him.

 _No…_ he thought. _It can't be…_

"That's a psicrystal," Ness said.

"How in the universe did you manage to get one of these?" Jeff asked. "A single psicrystal is close to priceless."

"That doesn't matter," Ness said. "I have a request for you, Jeff. Please… hold onto that. It reminds me of my experiences on Vulcan. At first I thought that I had to face the past head on, but I would rather go in with an empty mind."

"You're trusting me with something so valuable?" Jeff asked.

"Yes," Ness said, smiling with his eyes rather than his mouth. "Isn't that what friends are for?"

 _I… suppose that it is._

"Well," Ness said, looking through the Gate's crystalline walls. "It looks like I should probably go now. See you in a month, Jeff."

Jeff gingerly put the psicrystal in his pocket, reminding himself that it was worth millions of dollars.

"Please don't die out there," Jeff said.

"I'll try my best," Ness replied as he turned away. "And even if I don't make it back… please know that I lived a happy life, Jeff. Yeah, some parts of it weren't great, but I'm glad to have gotten a fair shot in this universe. So many people didn't have the opportunities that I did."

Jeff's heart wrenched as Ness entered the Gate. How could someone be so accepting of their potential death? Jeff knew that he would never be satisfied with his life until he invented something that changed people's lives.

His train of thought was interrupted by Ninten approaching him. Jeff felt his body tense up out of habit. He never knew how Ninten would act, and that ambiguity made his stomach churn.

"Jeff," Ninten said. "…Thanks for coming here. I know that it wasn't for me, but I do think that Ness cares about you, even if he hasn't shown it. He needs all of the support that he can get."

Jeff fidgeted. He hadn't expected _that._

"Uh… you're welcome?"

Ninten smiled.

"I make you nervous, don't I?" he asked.

"No!" Jeff protested.

"I do," Ninten said, shaking his head as he looked wistfully through the Gate's transparent walls. "I'm sorry for that, Jeff. Well… as sorry as someone like me can get, I suppose. I never meant to hurt you with my words. Ah, psych it. I'm no good at this."

Jeff blinked. An apology? From _Ninten?_

"I found out why you hate psigeneers," Jeff said. "They created some pretty nasty devices throughout history."

"Yes," Ninten said. "They were often _coerced_ into making those devices. I don't know if that still happens today, but I would be careful if I were you."

A shiver ran down Jeff's spine. Between Poo's warning and this, Jeff was starting to wonder just how many dark secrets were buried under Ceres' glamorous surface.

"I'll work with my dad," Jeff said. "That way, people will have to go through him to threaten me."

Ninten nodded.

"That sounds like a good plan," he said, "But… you may want to watch your father. I hate to suggest this, but I don't think that he's exempt from that coercion thing. Doesn't it strike you as strange how he just… bursted into the scene right about when you were born? The dude's pretty old. If he were really so motivated, why wait until middle age to start inventing?"

"My dad is _not_ making anything shady," Jeff said.

"I'm not saying that it is," Ninten said. "The whole system just seems suspicious, and he's part of it. I don't think that this universe is as peaceful as it seems. Even after 80 years, our society is still used to having an emperor. We need to learn how to take care of ourselves. In a way, this society is like a teenager, trying to find its place in the universe… But now I'm rambling. See you, Jeff. I hope that everything goes well for you."

With that, Ninten turned away and walked into the Gate. Jeff sighed, his heart weighing like a brick in his chest. Ness and Ninten had given him lots to think about, as if he didn't have enough on his plate already! Upon hearing footsteps approach him, he turned to see Tony and Kumatora walking towards him.

"Hey," Jeff said. "Did you two say your goodbyes as well?"

"Yep," Kumatora said. "Who knows if we'll ever see them again? I mean, they shouldn't be in danger, but things can always go wrong…"

Jeff didn't want to think about that.

"Kumatora and I reached an agreement," Tony said, his eyes locking with Jeff's. "We want to go to the staff vault for more information. We know that it could be a trap, but Ms. Monotoli has no real reason to trick us. Will you come with us, Jeff?"

Jeff sighed. He had known that this was coming.

"I suppose," he said. "Seeing my friends march to their potential deaths makes me care a whole lot less about the rules."

* * *

"Remember how we first met on a ship like this, Ness?" Ninten asked Ness, strapping himself into his seat on the spaceship.

Ninten looked at the sleek, steel walls around them. Just like the spaceship that took them to Ceres, a clock was placed on the walls, showing the year. Ninten shook his head. Crazy… Ceresish? Ceresians?

"…Yeah," Ness said. "It feels like so long ago."

"So much has happened in the past three months," Ninten said, shaking his head. "It's a little tough for my mind to recognize that the upcoming war is _real._ "

Right then, the door to the room slid open and Ana walked in.

"So it appears that we have about 50 psions loaded onto this ship," she said, "And about 15 of those are students. Should be enough to take out a few empirists, right?"

She took a seat next to Ness, favoring him with a smile.

"You look tired," she noted.

"Couldn't sleep," Ness said.

"Well, the ship isn't set to take off for a few hours," Ana said. "You could try to sleep now. Don't worry; I'll wake you up if anything happens."

"…All right," Ness said, yawning. "I've been feeling wound up lately. Sleeping might be a good chance for me to relax."

Ana smiled supportively.

"I think I might kick back and take a nap too," Ninten said. "…I hope that Paula isn't worried sick about me. I feel way more cautious now that I know that someone gives a psych about me. We said goodbye to each other back at the school, and I think that she was almost in tears."

"It's good that you feel that way," Ana said, "Nobody wants you to die doing something stupid."

"Heh," Ninten said with a smirk. "Good night… or, well, good afternoon. I'm going to sleep."

Ninten closed his eyes, not bothering to tune out the rest of the conversation.

"Claus is on the ship, right?" Ness asked Ana.

"Yep," she replied. "I saw him in one of the other rooms."

"I hope that he'll be okay," Ness said. "I hope that we'll all be okay."

"We will," Ana said. "Trust me, Ness. I won't let anyone hurt us."

 _Classic Ann,_ Ninten thought. _She always thinks that she has to do everything._

"All right," Ness said. "Good night, Ana."

"Sweet dreams," she whispered.

* * *

Ness stood on a plane of darkness. Black stretched infinitely in all directions. Yet instead of a vast expanse, Ness felt… constrained, as if he were trapped in a box with invisible walls.

 _Another dream…_ he thought, _But no sign of Lucas._

A man vaporized in front of him, a sword stuck in his chest. He looked at Ness with wild eyes. He wore all blue, the mark of one of Apollo Carpainter's cultists.

"This was you!" he shouted. "You killed me!"

The words rang out in the darkness: _killed me… killed me… killed me…_

Ness covered his ears.

"Please," he begged. "When I took control of the corpses, I didn't mean…"

"You killed me!"

Ness cringed as the man wrenched the sword out of his chest. Blood flowed out of his wound like a waterfall, falling through the darkness as it cascaded downward. It passed through the invisible floor that Ness and the man stood on, falling downward into infinity. Disturbingly, it sounded like water flowing out of a faucet.

"This is _your_ fault!"

Ness took a step back, raising his hands defensively.

"You were a cultist," Ness whispered, his voice ringing hollow. "You stood by while your leader killed hundreds of innocent people."

"That doesn't change the fact that you killed me," the man hissed. "Step forward! Face me!"

"Please…" Ness whispered, hunching his shoulders and hugging his arms. The world felt so _cold._

Another man appeared right in front of him. This one was missing a head. Blood flowed out of the stump of his neck, drenching his entire body. Ness opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His body started shaking uncontrollably.

"This is what you did to us!" the first man shouted, taking a step towards Ness.

"S-Stay away from me!" Ness shouted, taking another step back.

Two more people appeared at Ness' sides. One of them was slashed in half; the other's head was twisted around so far that he couldn't possibly have been alive. Ness let out a yelp.

"You killed us," all four said in unison.

"No…" Ness protested, holding out his hands in a vain attempt to protect himself.

Four more men phased into existence, all of them carrying fatal wounds.

"You killed us," all eight said.

"Please… stop…" Ness said, shrinking back.

A sea of people popped up from the darkness. Ness scanned every face; there must have been hundreds. Every one was dead. Every one looked at him in loathing.

"YOU KILLED US." The voices were strangely devoid of emotion.

"I never meant to hurt anyone!" Ness shouted, his voice drowned out by the ghosts of his victims. "I'll never kill anyone ever again!"

"YOU WILL PAY."

"Please!" Ness shouted as the dead cultists advanced. "Please…"

The cultists started to tear his limbs apart.

"Please…" he whispered.

* * *

Ness awoke. Another nightmare. How easy it now seemed to recognize that he had been dreaming. Real life was so much more… well, _real._ Ness looked around in his surroundings, sighing as trees made their normal shadows and the sun properly warmed his skin.

Wait.

Trees? Sun?

Shouldn't he have been on the spaceship?

A sense of panic overtook Ness. Looking around, he identified the area as a plateau, populated only by sickly trees. The sun shone brightly overhead. How in the universe had he gotten here? He walked over to a large rock and examined it, brushing his palm against the jagged surface. Ness couldn't put his finger on it, but it seemed _different_ from the rocks on Ceres.

A man appeared on the plateau. He wore a foreign vest and hat that Ness didn't recognize. Perhaps they were Dalaamian-made… but Poo's clothes didn't look anything like the ones that this man wore. Ness ducked behind the rock, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Psych, psych, _psych,_ " the man said, pacing back and forth. "Just where is that brat? I've searched all over. I thought that he went into this arrangement willingly."

 _What?_ Ness thought. _Am I still dreaming? And is he… talking about me?_

"Ah, who am I kidding?" the man asked. "Even if I _do_ erase him, I doubt that Carpainter will let me out of this hellpit, even though _I_ was the one to tell her about the needles in the first place. I guess that she wants to get rid of anyone who knows what she did…" the man chuckled.

Ness felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight. Needles? Erasure? None of it made sense, but Either Diana or Minerva Carpainter was somehow at the center of it. It scared Ness to think that either the president of Ceres or the person who had saved his life more than once might be involved with something so… shady.

"This is really sad," the man said with a sigh. "I have nobody to talk to, so I ramble on and on. This must be how _he_ feels. I guess that I can understand why he would want out. But now it's me against him. I'll track him down and erase him, even though we're both just Carpainter's pawns. I don't have any other choice. Teleport!"

The man waved his hands around, promptly vanishing from sight. Ness popped out from behind the rock. What had that man even been talking about?

Another person appeared. Ness ducked back behind the rock, but then stood up upon realizing the person's identity: Lucas. While he still didn't have a visible face, his body seemed more consistent than it had before. Lucas appeared young, maybe younger than Ness.

"Hey," Lucas said. "I didn't even call you here this time. You just kind of… stumbled into my world. You must have been running from your own dreams for whatever reason."

 _Oh, right,_ Ness thought, the truth finally dawning on him. _I'm in Magicant. That's why everything seems so real._

"But since you're here, I want you to meet someone," Lucas said.

"Is this person a figment of your imagination?" Ness asked. "Since you said that this world is just your mind, right?"

"No, actually!" Lucas exclaimed. Something about his body posture seemed more upbeat than normal. "Someone else visited, just like you. I want you to meet him!"

"Uh… okay," Ness said.

"Great!" Lucas exclaimed.

The world warped around them. Ness found himself standing in a cozy cabin. A fire burned in the hearth, radiating enough heat to make Ness feel sleepy, as if he were in bed.

"I guess you can warp around wherever you want, huh?" Ness asked.

"Being the host of this place, he has that power," came a soft voice that didn't belong to Lucas.

Ness turned around, seeing an old man sitting in a chair. He looked 70 to 80 years old, but he carried the air of someone much younger. His smile gave off a youthful vigor that Ness hadn't seen from most young adults. Lucas stood next to him.

"Ness, is it?" the man asked. "You look so much like Ninten. Could chance really make people look so similar?"

"You know Ness?" Lucas asked, clearly surprised.

The man nodded.

"Yes. It's not every day that someone escapes from the clutches of Apollo Carpainter."

Ness flinched.

"H-How do you know about that?" he asked.

"In this universe, nothing is forgotten," the man said. "Not really. But I've forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Boras Lorune."

"One of the emperor's sons," Ness hissed.

Boras nodded vigorously.

"Why deny it?" he said. "Sure, I could go through life constantly changing my name like my older brother, but why would I want to? I'm the son of a mad emperor. I've found that life becomes more bearable once you accept who you are. Just who are you, Ness, survivor of the most dangerous cultist band to ever exist?"

"You run the empirists," Ness said, loathing seeping into his voice.

"…Yes," Boras admitted, his voice dropping to a whisper. Somehow, he managed to put so much weight into that one word. It really did feel like he grasped the consequences of what it meant to lead with such a group.

"What's an empirist?" Lucas asked.

"They attacked Ceres recently," Ness said, his voice ice-cold.

"An unfortunate mistake," Boras said.

"Well take some responsibility for that _mistake!_ " Ness shouted. "You murdered innocent people!"

"We did take responsibility," Boras said. "Why do you think that we killed Coran?"

"Wait," Lucas said. "You killed your own leader?"

Boras stood up, pacing back and forth. In that moment, he seemed thirty years younger than he had previously. Every one of his footsteps resounded with colorful energy.

"We did," Boras said, "Even though I didn't like it. I think that the _real_ Coran would have wanted me to kill the vessel of anger that he had become. Luckily, my daughter Morgan was crafty enough to take care of him. Having no psionic powers myself, I really couldn't do much to harm him."

"Your words are appealing," Ness said, "And I want to believe you. But in the end, you're an empirist. You want one person to rule the universe. That just doesn't work."

"Does it?" Boras asked. "Ceres and Earth have been managing themselves poorly on their own. Yes, every single emperor in existence made large mistakes in the way that they governed, but we can _learn_ from those mistakes. Isn't that what separates us from other primates? We can analyze incidents that occurred millennia ago and gather some sort of meaning from it."

"What makes you think that one person ruling everyone is better than us ruling ourselves?" Ness asked.

"Humans cannot plan well for the long-term," Boras said. "Did you know that considering our current rate of population growth and technological innovation, we're projected to run out of psionic crystals to mine in 400 years? That means no stoves, no refrigerators, and no spaceships. Most people are too concerned with themselves to vote for restrictions on using natural resources, but an emperor doesn't suffer from that. Putting the right person in charge could solve a lot of problems. After that, we can use psionics to make that person immortal and eliminate the problem of landing a bad successor."

Ness wanted to refute Boras' claims, but he didn't know how. The emperor's son walked over and put a hand on Ness' shoulder, his eyes shining with hope. Even though he had seen the collapse of the empire itself, Boras seemed so innocent. Ness wasn't sure whether to feel revolted or inspired.

"I don't expect you to agree with me," he said, "But you're at the age where you can comprehend abstractions and form your own beliefs. I want for you to see the other side of the coin. We're not all murderers. Most of us mean well. We just… need a little pushing in the right direction, just like the universe itself."

"Of course you would say that," Ness asked. "Emperors always think that they're doing the right thing."

"Me?" Boras said. "An emperor? Divine Rulers, no! I simply do not have the _mind_ for it. Frankly, I am stupid. An emperor needs to be smart _and_ kind. An emperor needs to be able to analyze their own thoughts and biases. That's not me."

"Then who is it?" Ness asked. "If you could see anyone in charge of the universe, who would it be?"

Boras' eye twinkled.

"I'm keeping that under the curtain for now," he said.

"That means that it's someone who Ness won't like," Lucas said.

"Perhaps," Boras said, "But I wish for Ness to consider my ideas no matter who the emperor is."

Ness glared. He wouldn't accept _any_ emperor.

"Regardless," Boras continued. "I wanted to talk for another reason. Ness, I'm afraid that Lucas is in danger."

"How?" Ness asked.

"Like he has told you before, some people wish to erase Lucas' essence, turning him into a mindless robot."

Ness crossed his arms.

"I know that I'm gullible," he said, "But there's _no_ way that I'll believe you. Something that can erase someone's essence? That's too weird to actually exist."

"Is it really stranger than Magicant itself?" Boras asked, looking around the room.

"Please, Ness," Lucas said. "Boras… is telling the truth. I don't know why, but I _know_ that his words are true."

Ness sighed, letting his arms drop to his sides.

"It's just hard for me to trust an empirist," he said.

"You don't have to trust me," Boras said, "But I want to give you a fair warning about this world. A man named Fassad is trapped in Lucas' mind, and he'll do anything to kill your friend. He didn't have many morals to begin with, and now…"

Ness' heart skipped a beat. The man from earlier… could it be?

"Wait," Boras said, his eyes locking onto Ness. "You've seen him already, haven't you?"

"N-No!" Ness protested. "I was just horrified to think of someone _trapped_ in this world."

"I don't think so," Boras said. "Have you seen a man with exotic fashion choices and a thick mustache? He can use psionics, and you probably would have found him talking to himself."

That matched the earlier person who Ness had seen _exactly._

"…I thought so," Boras said, apparently having read Ness' expression like a book. "Please, Ness, stay away from him. He's more than just dangerous. He's outright sadistic. He wants to erase all of Lucas' will.

"Ness," Lucas said. "I see that you don't trust Boras. I understand that. I didn't trust him at first, either. But… he really does want to help me, just like you."

"Empirists don't help unless they expect something back," Ness whispered.

"It saddens me that you stick to that stereotype so tightly," Boras said, shaking his head. "Regardless of my intentions, Fassad is bad news. Surely you got that vibe from seeing him?"

Ness nodded reluctantly.

"Well, that's all that I really needed to discuss," Boras said. "I hope that you'll think about what I have said. But before I go, Ness…"

"Yes?" Ness asked.

"I am truly sorry for your loss," Boras said. "Nobody deserves to go through what you did. Nobody deserves to go through what _they_ did."

Ness didn't have to ask what Boras was talking about. He looked into the empirist's ancient eyes. They carried a sincerity that couldn't possibly have been faked.

"…Thanks," Ness said, tears blurring his vision.

Boras nodded sadly. He promptly disappeared from sight, presumably returning to his own world.

"Thanks for listening to him, Ness," Lucas said. "I didn't know that empirists were bad."

"He seemed all right," Ness replied with a sigh. "I just wish that I knew if it was an act. Even when I acted hostile, he didn't seem to mind. That's usually a sign of acting."

 _But that look in his eyes…_ Ness thought. _He couldn't have faked that. It was too real._

"Still," Lucas said. "We should avoid Fassad, at least for now. Since I don't have anything else to show you, would you like to return to your world?"

"We still need to work on finding your inner self, remember?" Ness asked.

"No," Lucas said. "I thought that you wanted me to feel emotions."

"Well, those two go hand in hand," Ness said. "This world of your mind is big; how about we explore it together? Sometimes, you just need to be with a friend to feel the right things."

 _Wait,_ Ness thought. _Am I volunteering to lead someone? This_ must _be a dream._

"That sounds good, if you think that it will help," Lucas said.

Lucas walked out of the cabin, leaving the creaky door open for Ness to follow. Once Ness stepped outside, he got a better view of his surroundings. The cabin was located in a village; nobody else seemed to occupy it. Fields of wheat swayed in the background. The wind's moaning provided the only source of sound.

 _So desolate,_ Ness thought. _Just like Vulcan._

Ness was surprised at how little that bugged him.

"So," Lucas said, "Where do we start?"

"We head off in a random direction," Ness said. "That's what exploring is all about!"

"I'm sure that actual explorers would disagree," Lucas replied.

"I know," Ness said, flashing a smile, "But isn't it more fun this way?"

"What if we hit one of those patches of emptiness like where we first met?" Lucas asked.

"Stop worrying so much," Ness said, a smirk coming to his face. "It will be fine."

"…All right," Lucas said. "Lead on, brave and noble leader."

"Was that _sarcasm_ in your voice?" Ness asked.

"I suppose it was," Lucas said. "Lead on anyway, brave and noble leader."

Ness laughed. He had forgotten how good that felt. In this moment, all of his problems seemed meaningless. He realized that he had been self-centered ever since Pokey's death. Yes, he felt bad for Pokey, but it was mostly about the guilt that _he_ felt. That selfishness had caused him to hurt Ninten and ignore the rest of his friends (Ana had gotten hurt and he hadn't even visited her!). And then there was his meeting with Ana's parents… Ness was still scared of acting that way again.

But now, he found something else. Lucas showed him that some things were more important than his problems. Lucas showed him that he wasn't alone in his pain.

 _I needed that,_ Ness thought. _I needed to see someone else just like me so that I don't have to feel so alone._

Ness looked back at Lucas, who seemed curious and eager despite his literal lack of a facial expression. Both he and Lucas had been bent and broken.

But both of them could get back on their feet if they worked together.

With a grin on his face, Ness took off in a random direction, hardly paying attention to where he was going. Even if he hadn't heard Lucas' footsteps, he wouldn't have doubted for a second that the other boy was following.


	33. Chapter 27: Plan of Action

_I've heard that war never changes. If that's true, then I don't know why I should stay alive. Because if I can't fix this system, these images in my mind will forever haunt me._

 _Fire roaring, engulfing houses and charring flesh._

 _Blood spraying, chimeras reaping._

 _My friend Fuel dying to an arrow in the heart,_

 _And his father's head forcibly removed from the rest of his body._

 _Why? How can anyone possibly declare war? I look around Tazmily's remains, and I can come up with no answers._

 _Yes, Flint made many enemies during his rule._

 _Yes, the pigmasks hate us._

 _But for the pigmasks to team up with neighboring towns and slaughtering everyone they can find just seems unthinkable. Yet it's clearly thinkable because it happened. How many of us are left?_

 _Not enough to rebuild._

 _What will I do? What can anyone do?_

 _…_ _I don't know._

* * *

Morgan Lorune woke up to a blistering headache. Each throb of her head make the world around her appear fuzzy.

"You're awake!"

Morgan sat up in her bed to see Boras looking at her with a childlike smile.

 _Out of all of the people it could have been, I'm so glad that I get to see him,_ she thought.

"Guess I am," Morgan said, her voice hoarse.

"Thank you for saving us," Boras said. "Seconds after you teleported us away, our entire village went up in an inferno."

Morgan coughed up mucus into her facemask, trying to resist the urge to hurl. No time for weakness, not when she still carried enough anger to push her forward. Minerva would _pay_ for what she had done.

"I overchanneled, didn't I?" Morgan asked.

"You most certainly did," came another voice.

Morgan turned to see a psion standing on the other side of her bed. She blinked. Why couldn't she sense his psionic aura?

"It's… Frederick, right?" Morgan asked. "Sorry, I'm terrible with names."

The psion nodded.

"As you can probably see, your psionic powers took a hit," Frederick said.

"W-What do you mean?" Morgan asked. "No…" her eyes widened in realization.

"That's right," Frederick said. "Your overchanneling permanently reduced the power of your psionics."

 _Oh, psych,_ Morgan thought.

"I… see," she said. Why did it hurt so much to face the truth?

 _It's because I need the power,_ Morgan thought. _To change the world, I need to be strong enough to assert myself. Even though I know that power is so much more than psionics, it hurts to lose some of my psionic potential._

"You're still the same person, even if you have weaker psionics," Boras said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks, dad," Morgan said, letting herself smile.

"So how did you know to teleport here out of all places?" Frederick asked.

Morgan shrugged. It had been the first place that popped into her head.

"It's perfect," Boras said. "We have food, water, shelter, and even a good position to negotiate with other empirist camps."

 _We don't have time for that,_ Morgan thought. _Don't these people know how good Minerva's scrying is?_

"How long was I out?" Morgan asked.

"A couple of days," Frederick answered.

"A couple of _days?_ Oh, psych, we have to get moving!"

Boras and Frederick looked at her with curious expressions.

"I'm surprised that Minerva hasn't found us already!" Morgan exclaimed. "She's probably scanning the landscape for our camp right now. And trust me, she's one of the best at gathering information with her scrying."

Boras and Frederick exchanged a nervous glance.

"We agree with you," Boras said, "But the other empirist groups that agreed to help us don't seem to follow that logic. They want to hunker down and defend."

Morgan grimaced. How could people be so stupid?

"Did you tell them about Minerva's regenerating army of goo?" Morgan asked. "That can also serve as an outlet for her psionics? If Minerva finds us, _we will lose._ "

"We did," Frederick said, "And we don't think that they fully believe us."

Morgan's head throbbed again. As if dealing with an invincible army and a force of psions that outnumbered theirs ten to one wasn't enough!

 _In all of the stories, determination is able to overcome logic and numbers,_ Morgan thought. _I don't know that I fully subscribe to that idea, but I have to believe that we do have a chance._

"Some of those empirists only side with us because of personal profit," Boras said. "You know that Coran tended to… _promote_ pillaging. Some of his officers in other camps are little more than raiders. Working with them will be challenging."

"Take me over there," Morgan said. "I need to talk to them."

"You should rest," Boras insisted.

"I _should,_ " Morgan said, "But I can't afford to. Trust me, Minerva is going to find us within a few days, possibly within a few hours. Every second matters."

 _And,_ Morgan thought. _If I rest, my anger will only fester. I have to use this rage for a good cause._

"I don't know if I can let you go out in your condition…" Boras said.

"She's right," Frederick said. "We need to move. Time doesn't wait for the injured."

Boras seemed to agonize over that, pacing back and forth with a grimace plastered on his face.

"…All right," he finally said. "Let's get moving."

Morgan nodded, standing up. She was surprised at how much effort it took.

 _Don't show weakness,_ she thought. _Make them think that you're in control._

After all, Morgan had learned that there were two kinds of people in this world: the controllers and the controlled.

And who the psych would want to be controlled?

Morgan walked out of the door, trying her hardest to keep from showing how much effort such a simple action took. She walked through the filthy streets of this new village, drawing looks. She supposed that it was from her physically frail state.

"They're meeting in that central building, yes?" Morgan asked, pointing to a stone structure in the near distance. "I can sense psionic auras in there, if I try hard enough… I'm glad that I can still do _that,_ at least."

"Correct," Frederick said.

Morgan made her way to the building, Frederick and Boras trailing behind her. She thrust open the door, revealing a group of men talking. They all fell silent, looking at her.

"All right," Morgan said. "Is everyone here an officer?"

Heads nodded, some of them reluctantly.

"Well," Morgan said, "I've come here to tell you people to get your psyching act together. We need to get out of here before Minerva finds us. Trust me, she will."

"Ignorant wench," one of the men said. "We can't keep running forever."

 _He does have a point…_ Morgan thought as she dropped the man with a mind thrust. He would be fine. Probably.

"Objections are welcome," Morgan said, "But let's all treat each other with respect, hmm?"

Nobody seemed surprised; such shows of force were all too common on Vulcan.

"Noran had a point," another man spoke up. "We have to fight eventually, Ms. Lorune. I'm all for fleeing if we can find a better place to defend, but no place on Vulcan is heavily fortified. Do you suggest that we go to Earth?"

"No," Morgan said. "Vulcan represents the tyranny of unregulated capitalism. By staying here, we show that we are willing to help those who suffer from the system."

"Then where should we go, Ms. Lorune?"

"Away from here. We need to go where Minerva will never expect. If she finds us here and unleashes her ectoplasmic army on us, we won't last long."

"There's the thing that you and your father keep saying," another man spoke up. "But that doesn't make any sense. Any psion knows that while it's possible to create an army out of ectoplasmic structures, it's impossible to control them remotely. And it's _certainly_ impossible for _ectoplasm itself_ to use psionics like you claim."

"That would be correct," Morgan said, "If Minerva didn't have psychotechnology that we hadn't heard of. A small, golden needle was embedded in each one of the ectoplasmic warriors. Minerva communicated telepathically with me through the needle and admitted that she could both control the warriors and manifest psionics through the needles."

The room fell silent.

"Have any of you heard of the Aphroditian myth about the seven golden needles?" Boras asked.

 _All too well,_ Morgan thought.

"Yes," one of the men replied. "It states that seven golden needles were embedded in the ground and they somehow keep a dragon sleeping. It's a ridiculous tale."

"As all myths tend to be," Boras said. "But is it possible that myth has a kernel of truth? The Osohe left traces of advanced technology all throughout Ceres and Aphrodite; is it possible that Minerva discovered powerful technology and used it to her own ends?"

"Look at it this way," Morgan said. "If we were lying, we could make a psych of a more convincing one."

"So even if you're right, what do we do?" one of the men asked. "If Carpainter has an army like that, then we'll never be able to beat her."

 _He may be right,_ Morgan thought.

"Everyone has weaknesses, even Minerva," Morgan said. "We have to wait until she exposes herself."

Right then, Morgan sensed a large psionic force coming from miles away.

"…Like that," she said.

The psions nodded along while the others looked confused.

"An intergalactic ship just entered Vulcan's atmosphere," Frederick explained, "Carrying psions. I can't tell how many, but it's more than I've ever sensed before."

 _I wish that I still had that level of precision with my psionic senses,_ Morgan thought. _I could probably come up with an approximate number of psions on that ship._

"Let's take an hour or so for scrying reconnaissance," Morgan said.

"They'll have anti-scrying psionics," one of the men said.

"So we just have to be careful about it," Morgan said, rolling her eyes. "After that, we'll attack and try to grab hostages. Does that sound good to everyone?"

"It's risky," one of the men said, "But I do believe you about President Carpainter. That bitch always has something up her sleeve. We'll strike her when she never expects it."

One by one, each of the men agreed.

"Okay," Morgan said. "Scry, gather up your men, and meet back here in an hour."

Morgan walked out of the building and back into the pollute air of the streets, followed by Boras and Frederick.

"Good job, Ms. Lorune," Frederick said. "You got them to actually do something."

 _But am I sending them to their deaths?_ Morgan asked herself. Disturbingly, she found that she didn't really care.

"Morgan," Boras said. "Can you still connect with Magicant?"

"I should be able to," Morgan said. "Why?"

Boras smiled.

"I'd like to have a little chat with my great-nephew," he said.

* * *

Ninten appeared in an abandoned village. His eyes scanned every object for visual clues. Trees, the kind that grew on Earth. Houses, the imperfect yet personable ones in rural America. Fields of corn swaying in the wind.

Podunk, Ninten's home town.

 _This has to be a dream,_ Ninten thought, _But this experience is too psyching vivid. I can feel wind; rarely in my dreams can I ever feel something._

Ninten walked through the village, the town so quiet that he could hear his own footsteps.

 _This is one lonely dream,_ Ninten thought. _I gotta have a chat with my subconscious about this. I'm starting to think that it has issues._

He chuckled. How could something so, well… not funny manage to crack him up? Maybe the solitude was getting to him.

 _…_ _This is how I felt living in Podunk after I got my psionic powers. Sort of._

But at least then, he had Mimmie to talk to. Here, he had nobody. Ninten sighed. This was why he didn't think more often. He always ended up depressing himself.

Ninten walked into his house, so immersed in his thoughts that he was hardly aware of what he was doing. However, he _did_ notice that someone else stood inside his house. Ninten's heart leapt. He recognized this person.

"Boras," he hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah," Boras said in a father-like tone. "It pains me to hear the venom in your voice, Ninten. Are we not family members?"

"Coran was my grandfather," Ninten said, "And I cheered when he died. Why did you kill him, anyway?"

"…It was not me who killed him," Boras answered, putting a hand over his heart. "And I did not wish to kill him. My daughter Morgan created and executed the plan. I was sad to see him go. I know that he was a monster, but death is always a sad event."

"I can't tell if you're naïve or acting," Ninten said. "Death can be happy. Most of the time, it is neutral. Thousands of people die every day, and we don't give most of them a passing thought."

"I do," Boras said. "It makes me sad to consider all of the deaths that occur every day that we continue to exist. But what makes me sadder is that most of the people who died didn't get to do what they really wanted to. The universe gave them chances, but some failed while others didn't get a fair shot. _That,_ Ninten, is why I fight against your democratic system. You think me naïve, but I see the truth. Most people only care about those close to them. They vote in their own interests, or in the interests of the people who they love. Most don't vote for the good of everyone."

Each word out of Boras' mouth caused Ninten's heart to release a little more rage into his bloodstream.

"Don't pretend like your kind is psyching _moral!_ " Ninten shouted. "I've seen what you do, Boras. My scars come from your kind, and I got off easily. For every cynical thought about the universe that I have, others have ten."

"The anger that Coran inflicted upon you warps your vision," Boras said.

"Sure as psych!" Ninten shouted.

 _If this gets ugly, I may need a weapon…_ the reasonable part of Ninten's mind told him.

He shot a quick glance around the room. Nothing.

"You think that all empirists are the same," Boras continued, "But that is like saying that all proponents of democracy are the same. Some of you are wonderful people; some of you aren't. Some of us are wonderful people; some of us aren't."

Ninten wanted to bark another retort, but he couldn't deny the logic in Boras' words.

"You still want to turn me into an emperor, don't you?" Ninten asked, clenching his hands into fists. "You want a psyching teenager to rule the universe, undeveloped prefrontal cortex and all."

"Yes," Boras said. "You are the perfect candidate for the job. You are descended from Emperor George, so you would have approval from the nobles…"

"I don't understand why it's psyching _desirable_ to be related to a guy who went insane and killed his wife," Ninten interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"Regardless, they would approve," Boras said, "And they make up most of the psions in the universe. You're also both intelligent and empathetic. You recognize your own biases. You're confident but not egotistical. You care, but you still keep a level head. And above all, you're open minded. Just seeing how you bit down your angry response when you realized the logic in my words makes me happy."

"Then maybe," Ninten said, trying to swallow his anger, "You should have initiated that plan _before_ Coran turned me into the asshole that I am today."

"You undersell yourself," Boras said. "You-"

"I'm broken, Boras," Ninten interrupted. "Don't you see how hard it is for me to care anymore? Sure, I want to help, but Coran put this view in my head that the universe is so shitty that nothing I do will have any sort of impact. I've been running for the past two years, but I can't escape that mindset!"

"People change," Boras said. "You could learn how to hope again."

"But even if I do," Ninten said. "I'll never be the same. You can use an adhesive to stick me back together, but I'll still have cracks."

"I don't want you to be the same," Boras said. "I want-"

"Goodbye, Boras," Ninten said, turning around. "I've already had this conversation with myself. Nothing that you can say will ever make a difference."

"I respect your opinion," Boras said. "I'll just say this."

The simulated Podunk phased out of existence, leaving Ninten and Boras on a plane of emptiness. After a few seconds, a virtual representation of a city appeared below them. Ninten landed on the "ground" of the city, the transparent features giving this miniature city a holographic feel. Everything was sized down to the point that the tallest buildings only stretched a few inches above Ninten's head.

"Wha…"

"We are standing in a three-dimensional map of the city that you just landed in," Boras said. "Now, if you exit the city and go over _here…_ " Ninten followed Boras, stepping through virtual buildings. Eventually, he arrived at a barren area right outside the city. "I'll be waiting here, without any protection. If you want to take out the head of the empirists, this is your chance."

"Why in the _psych_ should I trust you?" Ninten asked. "I'm not an idiot."

"But I am," Boras said with a smile, "And I always keep my word. I will be there, Ninten. I will be there alone."

 _Divine Rulers!_ Ninten thought. _If it were literally anyone else, even Ann, I would dismiss it as a trap. But Boras is usually so sincere that I'm not sure._

"Why?" Ninten asked. "What's in it for you?"

"I want to talk with you further," Boras said. "Even while you try to kill me."

"I could order psions to swoop down and snipe you," Ninten said. "You don't have any psionic powers. One mind thrust spells a death sentence for you."

"That's true," Boras said. "So I am trusting you as well. Please do not bring anyone else with you when you come to meet me. Can I trust you to do that?"

"No."

Boras smiled.

"I think that I can," he said. "Even if you don't know it yet, you won't want anyone else to be with you while you try to hack off my head."

"…"

"Well, looks like the real world is calling you, Ninten. I hope that you had a nice stay in Magicant."

The world around Ninten grew distorted, as if he were looking at it through spectacles that were too strong. He got the vague sense that something was _pulling_ him away.

The next second, he blinked his eyes open.

* * *

"What do you know," Tony whispered, opening the door to the staff archives in the dark of the night. "Ms. Montoli's key actually worked."

"Great," Kumatora whispered. "Let's head in."

"Something about this just seems too easy," Jeff whispered. "Why would Ms. Monotoli want to help us? And even if she is sincere, I don't think that this plan is a good one. Even though this is the middle of the night, we could still bump into a teacher. How would we explain ourselves then?"

"You worry too much," Tony said. "If we get into trouble, we can work it out then."

"That's the mindset that gets you into so much trouble in the first place," Jeff muttered.

"And I'm no worse for wear," Tony replied with a smirk.

"Think about it this way," Kumatora said. "You two are making a bunch of noise, so let's all shut up and get this over with quickly, all right? You can back out if you want to, Jeff, but we need to move quickly either way."

"…I guess I'm in," Jeff said.

 _What did I just sign myself up for?_ he asked himself. _If a teacher finds us, I could get suspended!_

His thoughts were cut short as Tony and Kumatora walked through the door and entered the staff archives. With a sigh, Jeff followed them. He had expected the place to be old and rickety, but from what he could tell it was well maintained. Well, that made sense, since most of the teachers were using it… or maybe they weren't. Jeff sometimes saw teachers in the regular library; perhaps they only came down here when they wanted to research something more obscure.

"We all brought flashlights, right?" Tony asked.

Jeff and Kumatora nodded.

"I'm going to get sick of holding this thing while I read, though," she said.

"Well, since you're a psion, you can make it levitate," Tony said with a smirk.

"I'm a _wilder,_ " Kumatora replied, "So I can't do as many things as a psion. Besides, I don't want to use my PSI down here. Who knows if there are devices that can pick up on it? If I designed this place with a special key to get in, I wouldn't want some idiot to teleport out with some of the books stored here."

"I hadn't thought of that," Tony said. "Feel free to continue moaning about how difficult your life is."

"Thanks," Kumatora said dryly. "I will."

"Didn't you say that we should get this done as quickly as possible?" Jeff asked. "We should probably start searching for stuff about the chimera labs."

After all of them agreed to start working in earnest, they each took a portion of the archives and started looking through the books. Jeff soon discovered that the books weren't well organized; he found multiple tomes stacked on the ground with no real relation to each other. As he continued moving from shelf to shelf, he started to hear… noises. They sounded normal enough, as they were comprised of chattering that sounded like it could come from a group of rats.

But something about it felt… wrong. Something that Jeff couldn't quite put his finger on. It felt like a sixth sense that he never knew that he had was telling him to get out of this place. Jeff's heart pounded in his chest. If his instincts were telling him to leave, he was more than happy to comply.

"Hey."

Jeff jumped, yelping in alarm. He turned around to see Tony and Kumatora looking at him with curious expressions.

"Oh, heh," Jeff said nervously, sweat trickling down his face. "Just… you two."

"Is everything all right?" Tony asked. "We found a book that lists directions to the chimera lab… if it still exists, anyway. We should probably get out of here so that nobody comes walking in."

"Yeah," Jeff said. "Let's… do that."

"What's wrong?" Kumatora asked.

"Can you… hear it?" Jeff asked. "Or am I going crazy?"

Tony was about to respond when his eyes widened. He looked back and forth between Jeff and the rows of bookshelves.

"Now that you mention it," Kumatora whispered. "I sense a being more psionically powerful than anything I've encountered before… and I think that I've come across some pretty powerful people. I don't know why I didn't pick up on it before."

"W-What should we do?" Jeff asked.

"Not stutter, for starters," Tony replied with a smile that didn't cover up any of his fear.

"…We should see what's over there," Kumatora said. "I know I'm not one to normally be serious, but I'm worried. Something as powerful as what I'm sensing could destroy cities, if not more."

"I don't know…" Jeff said. "If something's behind the walls, there's probably a reason it's there and not here."

"Scared?" Kumatora asked, a smile dancing on her lips.

 _Wasn't she all surly just a few hours ago?_ Jeff thought. _It's almost like perpetual danger is her natural environment._

"Sure as psych we're scared," Tony said. "Something about those noises doesn't seem natural."

"We could just peek in," Kumatora said. "If there really is something dangerous back there, I think that we want to know."

"Even if we wanted to, how would we locate it?" Jeff asked. "I'm hearing sound all around."

"Follow me," Kumatora said.

Jeff looked at Tony, who shrugged and trailed Kumatora as she rounded a corner.

 _I can't believe I'm doing this,_ Jeff thought as he followed Tony.

"Here we are," Kumatora whispered, arriving at a blank wall. "Whatever is producing the psionic aura is behind here."

"That's great," Jeff said. "How do we unlock-"

Jeff was cut off by the psionic key to the archives giving off light. A second later, the wall disappeared, revealing a hidden pathway.

"…All right, then," Tony said. "I didn't know that key thingy would just let us through, but I'm not complaining."

 _I still don't know if this is a good idea…_ Jeff thought.

Kumatora walked into the passageway. Jeff followed, looking back after he entered the hallway to make sure that the exit was still there. After a while, the passageway came to a turn. Jeff spotted purple lights dancing on the wall in front of him, indicating that something around the turn was giving off light.

"Wha…" Tony said, glancing at the wall and taking a step back.

"Shh," Kumatora whispered. "Listen."

After she mentioned it, Jeff noticed that the sounds had gotten much louder. On top of the scamper-like noises, Jeff heard a person talking.

"What makes you think that _I_ know how things are going on Aphrodite?" he heard, straining his ears to catch every word. "…Well, you're going to have to be more specific, Master Giygas. There are a lot of people out like that…"

"Wait, what?" Tony whispered. "Giygas. Didn't you say something about that name a while ago, Kuma?"

"Shh," Kumatora hissed.

"Yes," the person said. "I figured that you wouldn't care, but I just wanted to make sure. Our agreement still holds?"

 _What agreement?_ Jeff thought. _Who is this Giygas and what can he do? Kumatora said that he was powerful…_

"I understand," the person said. "Remember that I _am_ one of your little minions... in a way."

"We should peek around the corner and see what's there," Tony whispered.

"What if they see us?" Jeff asked, his voice more urgent than he had intended.

"The thing down there is… strong," Kumatora whispered. "It probably already knows we're here. I'll just take a quick peek…" Kumatora popped her head around the corner and gasped. "What _is_ that?"

Jeff cringed; Kumatora hadn't bothered to keep her voice quiet. Tony looked around the corner and gasped as well.

"Mr… Agerate?" Tony asked.

 _Wait, what?_

Jeff stepped out into the hallway, telling himself that it couldn't _possibly_ be Mr. Agerate talking to Giygas… but there he was, kneeling in front of a glowing circle. His posture was as stiff as a rock, containing none of the serenity that Jeff had grown to expect from the kindly teacher.

But that paled in comparison to what was _inside_ the circle. Jeff had expected some sort of monster or alien, but what he saw was a portal to another world. Jeff could clearly see the rocky ground and red sky in the portal that clearly did not belong to Ceres.

 _That shouldn't be possible…_ Jeff thought numbly. _It's impossible to make a portal to a place outside Ceres. The barriers are supposed to stop that from happening._

Jeff looked inside the portal and saw… something. His mind registered swirls of red and black that made the scampering sound that he had heard earlier. Jeff froze in terror. A part of his mind knew that he was now confronted with something primal, something terrible.

Mr. Agerate turned around, his eyes widening in surprise as he spotted the three students.

"Jeff! Tony! Get out of here!"

The teacher's harsh tone brought Jeff back into the present. Mr. Agerate _never_ yelled…

The portal pulsated, growing slightly larger.

"Gah!" Mr. Agerate shouted, turning back to the portal. "I have to contain it… Why didn't I sense you earlier? I guess I was so focused on holding up my portal that…" Mr. Agerate turned back to the students, the color draining from his face. "You! Kumatora! Get… going! Don't let it… sense… you…" Mr. Agerate grimaced.

"TOO LATE."

Jeff didn't know where those words came from, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were real. As he took a step away from Mr. Agerate and the portal, one arbitrary thought came to his head:

 _Man, we really messed this up._


	34. Chapter 28: Shapeshifter

**I said that I would probably release this chapter today or yesterday, so here I am! :)**

 **Oh yeah, I forgot to mention last chapters about confusing needle thingies. Hopefully they weren't too bad... I put that mechanic in New Frontier as well, so I was worried that those of you who haven't read that might be a little puzzled.**

 **Speaking of confusing things, the fight scene at the start of this chapter is rather... abstract. Happens whenever Giygas is in the picture, I guess.**

 **Also, another cliffhanger at the end of this chapter! :D I feel so evil!**

 **I'm hoping to get chapters 29 and 30 out by tomorrow, but if not then probably Sunday... Monday by the very latest. :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **A Fan:** Nah, no prequel sequel things going on with Time Distorter. :) I mean, just look at how different Ness and Ninten are! And it's not that I don't like Duster; I just can never write him well. Tbh, I haven't seen many people write him well. Even in fics that do a good job with him, he's never really one of the best characters. Since Morgan is way more interesting, I thought that I'd let her live instead.

Well, we'll see if you're right, Mr. Wright. :) And I'm not saying that she has no motive to hurt them; Jeff is. We'll see in book two if he's correct... Well, that nightmare is about as graphic as it gets. T rating is for people 13 and up... which is the age when most people say that it's ok to read Game of Thrones. I think that I'm covered. ;) Huh, when else does Fassad hate and automatically want to destroy Lucas in my fics? I mean, they're not ever friendly towards each other, but they're not usually at each other's throats from the start.

Actually, Boras implied in the Ness chapter that Morgan (who's his daughter, not sister, btw ;D) was the one who came up with the plan, so no contradiction there. He was just a little vague about it. But yeah, the rest of it is pretty contradictory. And I got some bad news for you: Ninten is not, in fact, going to use his brain. :P Yeah, there's no one big villain in this story, at least right now. I find that fantasy stories are usually better that way, since there's such a large cast to begin with. And while Jeff did mess it up, it wasn't really his idea from the start. ;) And there's another cliffhanger this chapter! Enjoy! :D

 **Guest:** *Hands tissue* Yeah, I'll try to add plenty of Lucas in the next book, but I never know how things will turn out until I actually sit down to write them. DX Yeah, the Giygas thing was kind of me feeling the need to add in some conflict in the Jeff POV because my original plan was going to take WAYYY too long to pull off. And we'll see with the Minerva Claus thing. :) Ah, glad that I made both sides seem convincing! Yep, there is quite a bit happening with a bunch of different POVs... which is what I like about reading fantasy. :)

Huh, I actually write better sad stories when I'm happy then when I'm sad. I tend to have quite a bit more empathy for my characters when I'm in a good mood. Although... my mood is usually pretty level, so maybe I'm imagining that. And surprisingly, no I don't usually see large differences in writing depending on my mood, unless it is the writing the super sad thing. Sometimes when I'm in a bad mood I'll be like "This is the worst thing I've ever written!" and then afterwards I'll read through it and I'm like "...This is actually good." xD and sticking to one story... I think it varies person by person. For me, it's actually way harder to write multiple stories at once than it is to power through a single story (it's why I'm not actually writing Time Distorter right now... I'm sorry, Fox! DX). So yeah, I can't help you a whole lot there. Sorry. D:

Ah, most of this chapter and about half of next chapter is Ana POV. I hope that you like it! :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** There's an arguably bigger cliffhanger at the end of this one. :D Ah, thanks! I decided to carry that idea over from New Frontier since Minerva can make better use of them than robo-Fassad. And it's also quite pertinent to today's situation with all of the drones and stuff. And war action starts this chapter! Yeah, there's been no explanation for either Fassad or Ness in Lucas' Magicant as of yet. So don't worry; you didn't miss anything that relates to Magicant. :) Actually, yeah. Ana knows that Ninten's the emperor's descendant... either she or he mentioned it in Ana's interlude. And of course, the rest of Ninten's family does as well (so Morgan knows). But yeah, you're right that Ninten wouldn't tell most people his heritage... since most people hate the emperors now and he's super into "don't judge a book by its cover." See you later! :D

 **crabbyTomato:** Puns are the worst. Just... no. xD OH MY GOSH PUNS ARE SO ANNOYING WHY AM I LAUGHING AT THEM? Yeah, I wanted to show how serious Minerva was about eradicating the empirists, and Duster was the one to go since I didn't have that many plans for him. D: Heh, it's true that we don't ever get to see what George looks like... I always picture him as looking like an older version of Ninten. And we'll see what Morgan can do with a restricted psionics pool. :)

Well, the nobles did have a pretty secure oligarchy, but Minerva kinda crashed that when she won her election a while back. She's considered "The champion of the people," since she struggled like a regular person (more than regular people, in fact). And she did show that she was willing to call the nobles out during her declaration of war speech. That being said, there are still a lot of things about her that are quite shady. Yeah, I'm with you on politics. It's interesting to write about, though. Yeah, there will be an explanation for Fassad... sometime, at least. xD Yeah, Magicant is part of the psionic realm. It's special because the cognitive essences of people can travel there when they sleep. So Ness' body is still sleeping, but his cognitive spirit wanders over to Magicant. Does that make any sense? xD And you'll find out a bit of info about all of that last stuff in the first part of this chapter. :)

 **PSIBoy:** Well, they were created the same way as in Mother 3. ;) It's how Minerva got her hands on them that's a mystery. I was planning on Duster being a recurring villain, but Morgan's so much better (imo) that I decided that the best use for Duster was for him to die. And yeah, Claus is going to discover that at some point. :) Ah, so many plots that I have to connect... at least I didn't create as many POVs as George RR Martin. Heh, to be honest, I only remembered that Jeff and Ninten weren't on great terms during that exchange. xD Erm... spoiler alert: Nothing more with Lucas is going to happen in this book. He was supposed to be involved in stuff, but it would have taken way too long.

You're right about Boras not becoming a martyr. Most of the empirists don't like him anyways since he actually acts moral and most of them are pillagers. No Boras this chapter, sadly, but we'll see plenty of him next chapter. :) And yeah, there's no real "big bad guy" right now... if only I could keep it that way. Fantasy stories are usually better without one big villain because the cast is already so large. George RR Martin does a great job with that. Yep, it's kinda convoluted... and it may become a little clearer to you this chapter. Maybe not, though. There are still a lot of mysteries. :)

* * *

 _No._

 _No._

 _No no no._

 _NO!_

 _Lucas… can't be telling the truth._

 _This isn't happening to Aphrodite._

 _…_

 _…_

 _…_

 _Right?_

* * *

While controlling her ectoplasmic soldiers on Ceres, Minerva Carpainter got the vague sense something was… wrong. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to detect remote psionic indicators of trouble. It didn't take long to find the source.

 _Oh, shit!_ Minerva thought. _She said that she had that thing under control._

There was only one entity in the universe that Minerva was afraid of, an entity with enough power to crush all of human civilization.

And that entity was looking for something.

"Teleport," Minerva muttered, hoping that she would survive the day.

* * *

A black tentacle burst through the ground right next to where Jeff was standing, throwing him against the wall. Jeff bit his lip, hardly noticing the metallic taste of his blood. More tentacles appeared on the ceiling and walls, each one of them reaching towards Kumatora. When Jeff looked at them, his mind registered a certain _darkness_ that he couldn't fully comprehend.

"COME TO ME, MY CHILD."

Those words again… where were they coming from?

"No…" Mr. Agerate said. "No! You said that you wouldn't… ah, that's right. I keep forgetting that you're only in with this deal so long as it interests you. You can do whatever you want and we'll be forced to watch, just because you hold a knife to our throats."

Kumatora shot orbs of fire from her hands, each one hitting a tentacle and causing minimal effect.

"YOU CANNOT ESCAPE."

"I have to seal the portal," Mr. Agerate said. "I just hope that Giygas doesn't come after the entire planet to get Kumatora… the barrier _should_ keep her safe."

"Stop talking and do something!" Tony shouted.

Jeff looked back at Kumatora, who was now surrounded on all sides by tentacles. Each appendage wrapped itself around Kumatora, constricting her.

"HMM."

"Get your filthy tentacle hands off of her!" Tony yelled.

"WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE, LITTLE CHILD? I THOUGHT THAT I KILLED YOU A FEW… DAYS AGO? YEARS? CENTURIES? HOW DO YOUR TIME MEASUREMENTS WORK?"

"M-Me?" Kumatora asked, flailing helplessly against the black tentacles. "Oh shit. There goes the last of my psionic power… the son of a bitch sucked it all out of me."

Jeff looked desperately at Mr. Agerate. Even though the teacher seemed to be working for this monstrosity, Jeff couldn't find anyone else to invest his hope in.

"Mr. Agerate!" Jeff exclaimed. "Please, can you stop it?"

"Need to keep it at… bay," Mr. Agerate responded, his body posture as stiff as a stone.

Kumatora's head nodded forward, her eyes closed and her body limp. Had the tentacles knocked her out, somehow?

"Kumatora!" Tony shouted.

A tentacle whacked Tony, slamming his body into the wall. Jeff's blood went cold. That wasn't a crunch that he heard from inside Tony's body, right?

"Tony!" Jeff said, running over. "Are you all right?"

No response.

 _No…_ Jeff thought, looking at Tony's closed eyes in horror. _The tentacles knocked him out too. It's only a matter of time before they overwhelm Mr. Agerate and get me!_

"This is why I discouraged you, Agerate," came an authoritative voice from behind Jeff.

Jeff turned around. Upon spotting who had arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief.

 _Minerva Carpainter,_ he thought.

It didn't matter how President Carpainter had possibly known to arrive or whether or not Jeff approved of her propaganda. Ceres' president was here to save the day.

"Let me take it," Minerva said, stepping forward and closing her eyes. "You know how to deal with that thing's apparitions."

 _Apparitions?_ Jeff thought. _The last time that I checked, tentacles didn't qualify as ghosts!_

Mr. Agerate nodded, fur starting to sprout on his skin. Jeff cried out in panic, but Minerva Carpainter didn't seem to care. The next second, Mr. Agerate was replaced by a giant wolf.

 _Mr. Agerate is… a werewolf?_ Jeff thought numbly.

The wolf pounced forward. Jeff yelled, flinching back even though the he wasn't along the wolf's trajectory. The wolf bit into the tentacles wrapped around Kumatora's unconscious body. When it chomped down on them, the tentacles disappeared into black mist. A few more bites set Kumatora free, sending her tumbling to the ground.

"HUMAN LEADER. I ONLY WANT MY CHILD. IS SHE REALLY WORTH THE EFFORT?"

Starmen flew through the portal, their skinny limbs moving in wavelike motions as they charged towards Kumatora and the wolf. The wolf (Mr. Agerate?) morphed into a bipedal lizard with blades for its arms and a mace on the end of its tail. The newly formed reptile zipped across the room at blinding speeds, slicing starman after starman. None of the starmen lasted long enough to use any sort of psionics.

 _Is that… really Mr. Agerate?_ Jeff thought. _And if that is him, was he ever really a human to begin with? It's possible that each one of these forms is just a skin that he puts on when he needs to, even his human one. After all, the starmen did call him "forsaken one." Maybe his true form is monstrous beyond comprehension. That would explain why he works for Giygas._

Before long, the air filled with the sickly sweet scent of starmen blood. The lizard Mr. Agerate showed no signs of slowing down; each slash severed a starman in two.

"TELL ME, HUMAN LEADER. WHY DO YOU DEFEND MY CHILD?"

"Because I fight for justice," Minerva said, straining her voice as the portal continued to pulsate.

"JUSTICE. SUCH A HUMAN CONCEPT. THERE IS ONLY POWER, FORSAKEN ONE."

"It's been a while since someone called me that," Minerva said. "You know, I've discovered that there are things more important than the good of the whole, Giygas. I don't think that I'll let you take the girl, even if it means war."

"SHE IS MY DAUGHTER AND YOUR SISTER. I KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HER."

"Half-sister, even by a liberal definition," Minerva said.

 _…What?_ Jeff thought. _How could Kumatora possibly be related to that thing AND President Carpainter?_

"Help, Agerate," Minerva said, her voice surprisingly calm even as the portal widened. "I can't hold it back for long."

The lizard Mr. Agerate turned back into a human as he smashed a starman against a wall.

"I hate not being able to teleport the children out," Mr. Agerate muttered. "I'm ready, Minerva."

The teacher and the president joined hands, holding their symbol of union up to the expanse of incomprehensible emptiness behind the portal. Even though they were but two humans amidst a sea of starmen, they stood out like a candle in a dark room.

"You go away!" Mr. Agerate shouted. Jeff could only imagine that psionic energy was bursting from the duo; he couldn't see for himself since he didn't have psionic powers.

 _Now that Mr. Agerate is helping Minerva, the starmen are free to Kidnap Kumatora!_ Jeff realized, his panic pushing him to act.

Jeff dashed over to Kumatora's unconscious body, trying to force away the starmen that lifted her up with their psionics.

 _I can't fight them,_ Jeff realized. _They could kill me in passing thought, if they want to._

Jeff turned back to Mr. Agerate and Minerva to see that the portal was quickly shrinking. The hunched backs and stiff limbs of the teacher and the president alerted Jeff that the two of them were severely strained by their task.

Jeff shouted out as the starmen threw Kumatora towards the portal with their minds. If she were to pass through to the other side… Jeff didn't know what would happen, and he was pretty sure that he didn't _want_ to know what would happen.

Seconds became minutes as Jeff reached out, trying in vain to grasp Kumatora's floating body and keep her from entering oblivion.

 _No…_ he thought. _I can't do this. Without psionics, I can't do anything!_

Kumatora inched closer to the portal.

 _Please…_ Jeff thought. _Please, if someone's watching this, give me something!_

Kumatora inched closer to the portal.

 _This… isn't happening. Kumatora's going to be fine._

Almost there…

 _Please?_

Closer still…

 _It's happening. Kumatora's going to go through the portal and I can't do anything to stop it._

The portal closed.

Jeff gasped as President Carpainter and Mr. Agerate stood up straight, both of them releasing sighs of relief. Minerva Carpainter turned around and fired blasts of energy at the remaining starmen, dropping each one with a single attack. Jeff caught Kumatora's unconscious body as it fell, no longer supported by the starmen's psionics.

"I hope that this serves as a lesson," Minerva said to Mr. Agerate between gasps. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a war to win. Since Giygas is no longer trying to suppress my psionics…" Minerva waved her hands and teleported away.

Mr. Agerate walked up to Kumatora's and Tony's unconscious bodies, looking at them in concern.

"They'll both be fine," he said. "…Probably."

"I can see that," Jeff muttered.

"You don't know how these creatures work," Mr. Agerate said. "It wasn't physical damage that I feared."

"So why were you working with him?" Jeff asked, unable to keep from scowling. "You almost costed Kumatora her life!"

"There are some things out there who you can't just ignore, Jeff," Mr. Agerate said, shaking his head sadly. "And this entity is one of them. I have to either work with him or fight him. And there's no way in the entire universe that I would ever be able to defeat Giygas. I can only oppose him on small fronts and hope that he doesn't retaliate."

"You call _this_ a small front?" Jeff asked, gesturing to the starmen guts littered across the room.

"Yes," Mr. Agerate said.

"I used to respect you," Jeff muttered. "I didn't think that this was who you were."

"If you expect me to immediately beg for forgiveness upon hearing those words, you are mistaken," Mr. Agerate said. "I've made my mistakes, and I'm not proud of who I am. But this is the best that I can do with what I have, so I'm not going to apologize."

"Did you kill a teacher last year?" Jeff asked, trying to find some way to get under Mr. Agerate's skin.

"Would you believe me if I said no?" Mr. Agerate asked. "Let's talk about that later. For now, we should get Kumatora and Tony to the hospital. I don't think that they suffered serious mental damage, but we should give them a chance to recover just to be safe."

"And why should I trust you?" Jeff asked.

"You don't have to," Mr. Agerate said. "But are you going to risk your friends' lives by betting that I'm wrong?"

Jeff glared at Mr. Agerate. Why did that man have to make hating him so _hard?_

"…All right," Jeff said. "Let's go. But I won't let you get away with whatever you're doing."

"I'm sure that you won't," Mr. Agerate said with a smile. "That is, if I'm doing anything at all."

* * *

"Hey, Ninten," Ana said. "We arrived on Vulcan."

Ninten blinked awake, his posture showing no signs of grogginess.

 _I guess he's just always ready to act,_ Ana thought.

"That… was a weird dream," Ninten said, looking around the cabin.

"What do you mean?" Ness asked, his eyes shining with hope.

 _What about Ninten's dreams could be hopeful?_ Ana thought. _Is… Ness having strange dreams himself? Does he want Ninten's dreams to validate his own?_

"It just seemed _real,_ " Ninten said. "I'm not one to believe in dreams as anything more than our brains getting a chance to chill, but that dream seemed too vivid to come from my subconscious."

"I had dreams like those as well," Ness said, smiling in relief. "I think that they _are_ real. I know that it seems silly, but isn't there something about them that just seem too complex to be fake?"

Ness' tone indicated that he wanted Ninten to agree with him, that he _needed_ Ninten to agree with him. Ana fought down the urge to comfort Ness. She needed to see Ninten's reaction first.

"…I suppose," Ninten said after a pause, "But we humans tend to look for connections where none exist. It could be that we both just had vivid dreams and we just _want_ to believe that they're real."

 _Leave it to Ninten to provide the pessimism,_ Ana thought, sighing inwardly. _What did happened to him during those three years after I moved away from Podunk?_

"But it just _seems_ real," Ness said.

"As do a lot of things that aren't," Ninten replied. "…In your dreams, did you meet someone who seemed realistic?"

"His personality was realistic," Ness said, implying that something else about this person _wasn't_. "Oh, and then there were a couple other people. Yeah, they were realistic."

"In either of your dreams, did anyone mention a place called 'Magicant?'" Ana asked.

Ness and Ninten turned to look at her, their eyes widening.

"How did you know?" Ninten asked.

"There are legends about a dream world called Magicant," Ana said with a shrug, "And your descriptions matched them."

"Hey!" Someone shouted from outside the room. "We're here! How long are you kids going to sit and chat?"

"Ah, military gruffness," Ninten said, shaking his head. "We should probably get going, huh?"

"All right," Ness said, his body tensing up.

Ana put a hand on Ness' shoulder, smiling in support.

"Remember," she said. "I'll always be there for you."

"Thanks," Ness said, his body relaxing as he smiled back.

 _He adores you,_ a voice in Ana's head spoke. _And you don't even have the decency to love him back._

 _Shut the psych up!_ Ana thought back.

Ana followed Ninten out of the spaceship, making sure to put on her face mask so that she could filter out the toxic air. At the sight of the world outside, she couldn't help but slouch. Factories and other buildings lined the landscape as far as Ana could see. Massive stacks of smoke merged with the sky, turning it a dull grey. No plants lay in sight, and the entire scene was eerily quiet.

Even though she had landed right outside a large city, Ana had never witnessed a place so desolate.

 _Welcome to Vulcan,_ Ana thought. _I bet that the whole planet is like this._

"Wow," Ninten said, his voice muffled by his mask. "I can't believe that some people psyching _live_ here."

"Are you doing okay, Ness?" Ana asked, looking into his onyx eyes.

"…Yeah," Ness said.

"Are you sure?"

Ness nodded.

"I just need some time to adjust," he said.

Ana resisted the urge to probe further. She needed to let Ness do things his way.

"Hey, kids!" A psion shouted at them in the distance. "We're setting up camp over there!" he pointed to a part of the city that looked slightly less grey and dreary than the rest of it.

"All right!" Ana shouted back. "We'll be right there!"

"Ann," Ninten said, the urgency in his voice surprising her. "I need to talk to you alone."

"Are you okay with that, Ness?" Ana asked. "I'll just talk with Ninten for a few minutes. I promise that I'll catch up soon."

"Yeah, sure," Ness said, smiling sweetly. "I'll meet you over there!"

Ana couldn't help but smile back as Ness turned around and followed the psion.

"You two are already pretty close, huh?" Ninten asked.

"It _has_ been three months since we've met," Ana said.

"I guess," Ninten said. "You always seem to know what to do. I don't know how to react to half of the stuff that Paula says or does. I think that she wants to be comforted just like Ness, but the Divine Rulers know that I'm the psyching _worst_ at that."

Ninten snorted, shaking his head in what appeared to be frustration.

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" Ana asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because we could have waited until we got to the camp."

"Nah," Ninten said. "I have a legit issue to talk about. In my dream that I think might be real, my great-uncle Boras spoke to me."

Only years of hiding her true feelings allowed Ana to keep her surprise from showing through.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ninten said. "He told me to meet him in a specific place, right outside of this city. He said that he would be alone."

"Huh," Ana said. "Well, he can't _actually_ expect you to go there…" Ana trailed off as Ninten grimaced. "…Wait. Are you actually going to go there?"

"You haven't met Boras, Ann," Ninten said. "The geezer is psyching _sincere._ He said that he wouldn't bring anyone else, and I…" Ninten swallowed. "Psych it, I believe him."

Ana hoped that wasn't showing the disapproval that she felt. Telling Ninten that he was stupid right to his face usually didn't solve anything.

"I suppose since you're more cynical than I am, you must have a pretty good feeling about this," Ana said, trying to put a positive spin on the issue.

"Thanks for understanding, Ann," Ninten said, not grasping her reservations about his plan. "I know that it's stupid, but it just _feels_ right. I don't know how else to describe it."

 _I suppose that's fair,_ Ana thought. _Sometimes, I think that I analyze too much and that I should base more of my decisions off of instinct._

"Do you want me to come with you?" Ana asked. "I know teleport, so I can get us out of a tight spot if I have to."

"…No thanks," Ninten said. "I'm willing to risk my life for this stupid plan, but not yours."

Ana nodded. She could empathize with that sentiment.

"Thanks again," Ninten said, adopting a relieved smile. "It really means a lot to me that you accept who I am. I have one more request for you, Ann."

"Sure," she said. "What is it?"

Ninten bit his lip, looking down at the ground. This was the first time that Ana had seen Ninten nervous… well, _ever._ He looked back up to her, his eyes shining with worry.

"If I don't make it back, please don't tell Paula that I went down this way," Ninten said. "I wouldn't want her to think that I threw my life away in a fit of stupidity."

"…All right," Ana said. "You should probably go now. I need to catch up with the others. Goodbye, Ninten. Try not to die out there."

Ninten's eyes glazed over purple, pupil and all.

 _Another mystic trance…_ Ana thought, rushing over to keep him from falling over. _But why now?_

"I may not be the only one in danger," Ninten said, his voice unnaturally mechanical.

Ana felt the blood drain from her face. After a second, Ninten's eyes returned to normal.

"What's wrong, Ann?" Ninten asked. "Why are you holding me? You look shaken. Ah, psych. I had another episode, didn't I? What did I say?"

"Just the usual," Ana lied as confidently as she could. "That I would know true pain."

 _I need to warn the others!_

She toyed with the idea of bringing Ninten back with her, but she quickly decided against it. He would be in danger either way and he clearly wanted to confront Boras on his own.

 _Is that really the reason?_ A voice in Ana's head asked. _Or do you want to part ways so that it's his fault instead of yours if he dies?_

 _I thought that I told you to shut the psych up!_ Ana shouted back.

"Goodbye, Ninten," she whispered.

Without waiting for a reply, she turned around and started running toward the camp. She could have teleported, but she didn't want to startle anyone and she wanted to conserve her psionic energy. After a few minutes, she caught up with one of the psions (no sign of Ness, unfortunately).

"Whoa, there," the psion said. "What's the matter, little lady?"

 _Stop treating me like a little kid!_ Ana wanted to shout.

"My friend's a mystic," she said. "And he sensed trouble coming our way."

The psion chuckled.

"Thank you for bringing that to my attention," he said, "But the empirists wouldn't dare to attack us, not while our force of psions is clustered here."

Right then, an ectoplasmic spear struck the psion right in the chest. It bounced right off, courtesy of the man's psionic aura.

"Where did that come-?"

The psion was cut off as a woman teleported behind him and ran a sword through his chest. The psion crumpled to the ground. Ana let out a gasp.

"So easy," the woman said, shaking her head as she pulled the bloodied sword out of the man's body. "Get him to focus his aura in the front, then stab him in the back. Oldest trick in the book."

Something about this woman seemed familiar…

"You're related to Ninten, aren't you?" Ana asked. Once she knew what to look for, she could easily see the family resemblance.

"The name's Morgan Lorune," she said with a cold smile.

 _She must be an empirist,_ Ana thought. _Psych, Ninten's family is messed up!_

"Now," Morgan said. "How about I capture you and use you as leverage against your parents?"

Ana gritted her teeth. She would _not_ let herself become a liability!

"So, what do you say?" Morgan asked. "You just saw what I can do to you. Are you going to come along like a good little girl, or do I need to _make_ you?"

"Like a 'good little girl?'" Ana spat, her hands itching to smash Morgan's face in with a weapon. "Psych that and psych you. Call weapon!"

A massive battleaxe appeared in Ana's hands. She held the weapon comfortably, poised to strike.

 _It's been so long…_ Ana thought, surprised at how much nostalgia she felt. _Do I still have the skills needed to fight someone like her?_

"Ooh," Morgan said. "That's a big weapon for a little girl like you."

"Shut the psych up!" Ana yelled, charging at Morgan and swinging her axe.

Morgan parried the blow with her sword, smiling triumphantly.

"Is that all you've got?" she asked.

Ana let out a battle cry as she swung again. Morgan took a defensive stance, parrying each of Ana's attacks calmly. Ana channeled her rage into each attack, making sure to hold back enough to assess the battle logically.

Some people said that martial combat was based around strength and speed. While those two attributes did play a role, Ana had found that it wasn't as much as most people thought. Speed and strength were tools as much as swords or axes, but tools were useless in the hands of an unskilled fighter. Ana had found that martial combat was more mental than physical. To break through Morgan's defense, Ana had to find a way to predict Morgan's moves and counter them accordingly. Sure, she could leverage her strength and speed to find those openings, but split-second analysis was the heart of every battle.

Ana lashed out with stroke after stroke, each attack giving her a minuscule benefit in momentum. Eventually, Ana found an opening in Morgan's defensive wall. As she was about to strike, Morgan spoke:

"Good."

Ana paused.

"You are a good fighter, Ana," Morgan continued. "Your hate makes you stronger. Don't hold back; channel your rage and let it become you."

Ana faltered, dropping her momentum. She took a step back, her eyes widening in horror.

 _Didn't I tell myself that I would never fight that way again after I nearly killed Ninten?_

But… the empirists were _enemies._ Didn't Ana have the right to try her hardest to defeat them?

"Succumb to your rage!" Morgan shouted.

"No," Ana whispered. "No! I…"

Ana took another step back. She looked around, searching for a way out. She couldn't stay here, not in this state! She couldn't risk turning into the primal warrior that would do anything for a victory.

"Teleport!" she shouted, dashing forward with a few long strides and feeling the world warp around her.

* * *

Morgan smiled as the Aniah girl teleported away. It amazed her how people just didn't think right under immense stress. Really, it was obvious that Morgan didn't give a psych if Ana succumbed to her rage or not. In fact, Morgan preferred that Ana feel afraid of exerting herself. That way, she wouldn't be as much of a threat to Morgan.

But for Ana to not _see_ that… Morgan had expected it, but it still surprised her.

 _Oh well,_ she thought. _She's probably shaken to the point that she'll hesitate before blasting me the next time we meet. Time to move onto phase two._

"Teleport," Morgan said.

* * *

"Ness?" Ana asked, appearing in what she thought was the war camp. "Ness?"

Ana caught a flash of motion out of the corner of her eye. She whirled around to see a sword clunk off her head. Only her psionic aura and psionic stall kept her skull from splitting in two.

 _What the psych?_

Ana looked at the person holding the sword in front of her. He wore cheap armor with a golden throne emblem on the front. A golden throne… the sigil of the empirists.

"Lifeup!" Ana shouted, moving back to avoid the man's next sword stroke.

"For the empire!" the man shouted, swinging his sword wildly.

Ana must have dropped her axe before teleporting away, because she sure as psych wasn't holding it right now. She took a moment to appreciate how bad this man's form was. Ana didn't even _need_ a weapon to fight him.

After the man's next sword stroke, Ana lashed out at his legs, tripping him and sending him toppling to the ground. Too easy. She lunged, smashing her palm into his face. The man cried out in pain, releasing the sword from his grip. Ana picked up the blade, preparing to deal the finishing blow.

 _Succumb to your rage._

What was that?

 _Channel your rage and let it become you._

No… Ana gasped, realizing that she had been about to lose herself in battle again. She started shaking as she took tentative steps backwards. She hugged her arms, as if that would do any good against a psychological force that had almost turned her into a beast!

"I came to help you, but it looks like you didn't need it," came a voice from above.

Ana yelped, turning around as she came face to face with Claus. Well, not face to face, because Claus stood twice as tall and twice as wide as normal. All of his clothes, weapons, and armor were sized to match. How did he do that?

 _Idiot,_ Ana told herself. _He's a psychic warrior. They can temporarily turn themselves into giants with their psionics._

"Something wrong?" Claus asked. "You took care of that man quite handily."

"Well, it doesn't take much to beat someone like him," Ana said as confidently as she could manage.

"That's because you received first class training," Claus said, shaking his head. "These people had to teach themselves. Did you think that Vulcan was a good place for learning proper swordfighting form? But we don't have time to talk. The guy who was trying to kill you already ran away. Should we chase him down?"

Ana sighed in relief.

"No," she said. "I don't trust myself to fight, ever since I almost killed Ninten. I don't think that I could take someone else's life, not now. Um… have you seen Ness?"

"I know where he should be," Claus said. "I'm going to check on him right now."

 _Huh,_ Ana thought. _I didn't think Claus the type to care about protecting the weak._

"Let's go, then!" Ana exclaimed.

Ana followed Claus through the streets of Vulcan while he hacked at empirists that came his way. He seemed to have no reservations about killing. Ana felt bad for every victim sliced apart by Claus' greatsword; she spared a passing thought for each one of them because she knew that nobody else would.

As they walked through the war camp, Ana noticed green soldiers made of ectoplasm fighting off the empirists. From what she could see, they were doing a good job, taking out two empirists for every one of them that fell.

"That's strange," Ana said. "Did you know that we had ectoplasmic warriors on our side?"

"No," Claus said with a snort. "But I can see why President Carpainter wouldn't want to risk her precious popular approval by sending actual humans over to fight her wars."

"How can it be Minerva controlling them all the way from Ceres?" Ana asked.

"Look," Claus said, pointing to a tiny, golden needle sticking out of one of the gooey warriors' arms. "She's controlling them through those."

"How do you know that?" Ana asked.

Claus shot a glare at her. He managed to look even more angry than usual, which Ana found quite impressive.

"…Let's just say that those needles are part of the reason why I want to kill her," he said.

 _So he's dramatic and vague,_ Ana thought, fighting down the urge to sigh.

"I guess we can let them take care of the fight, then," Ana said.

"I suppose we can," Claus said with a smirk.

Soon afterwards, Claus stopped Ana at a building that looked structurally sound (which was a rarity on Vulcan, from what Ana had observed).

"Ness was assigned here," Claus said. "I hope that he's not out there fighting…"

Ana's heart skipped a beat. What would she do if Ness got himself killed? She would never be able to live with herself!

 _He has the decency to let you fight,_ Ana told herself. _The least that you can do is accept him the same way._

"Here we go," Claus said, shrinking back to normal size so that he could fit inside the building.

He thrust open the door. Ana followed him into the building, seeing no signs of Ness.

"Let's check the other rooms," Claus said. "He might be there."

After Claus opened the door to the next room, Ana gasped in horror. Inside on the back wall stood Morgan Lorune, holding Ness' unconscious body. Morgan flashed a vicious smile at Ana and Claus, holding a knife up to Ness' throat.

"Take one step further and he dies," she said, holding a finger up to her own throat to signify what would happen to Ness.


	35. Chapter 29: Death

**Hey, another double upload today to finish things off. It's been a long time since I started this story in July, huh? I'm hoping to get the entire series wrapped up before I head off to college next year, but I with the amount that I can write without the plot advancing at all... I can only hope. xD Well, thanksgiving break is nearly over; time to work on college apps and homework. :/**

 **I'm not going to be posting any stories other than Time Distorter for a while. I need to get down to work and finish that story. I owe it to Fox. :)**

 **But yeah, here we are! This is the climax, and the next chapter is the resolution (sorta). I hope that you enjoy this! :D**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Orangeflight of ShadowClan:** Yeah, totally fine! :) I know that it takes you a long time to write your reviews, and I totally appreciate the effort that you already put in. No need to review the few chapters that you missed. Tony's fine. :) I just had to knock him out so that there wouldn't be too many people shouting things. And those things are supposed to be mysterious. I will say that for Giygas, the definition of a family itself is quite different than for most people. He doesn't mean that he gave birth to Kumatora or whatever. We _do_ get a little more insight on just who Kuma is, though.

Yeah, both Ana and Ness are kinda struggling. That's what teenage angst can do to ya. ;) Well, it isn't practical to let the anger control you, but there are physiological benefits to being emotionally invested in battle. When they fight, Ana and Ninten can both get mad without letting it affect their form. Besides, Ana's more of a berserker type herself. Yep, Fassad was the only one who used them in New Frontier. They're much scarier in the hands of Minerva Carpainter, huh? :P Thanks for catching those typos! Seriously, it helps me out a lot. :)

For thanksgiving, I went over to a family friend's house and we played board games while the adults did adulty things (talking, probably). What did you do? And psychologists thought a bunch of weird things. It's a pretty flimsy science haha (it's still super cool, though!). And all science is a little flimsy... we just believe in it (most of us do, anyway) because it's _less_ flimsy than every other explanation for how the world works. Ah, thanks! :) Yeah, it's important to like your own writing, but it's bad to think that it's amazing. Sometimes I read through one of my chapters and I'm like "There's no way that I'm smart enough to have written this." xD But my writing _is_ trash in comparison to the works of published authors, so I'm trying to work on that. :)

Well, it depends on the cop. Most cops aren't mean unless they're provoked, but it's usually pretty easy to provoke them since they kinda have a warped view of society from dealing with so many criminals (meaning that they might see your actions as dangerous when they really aren't). That being said, there are some of them who are just awful people. Yeah, I don't have much self-control either. :) I'm just not impulsive to begin with, so it seems like I have a lot of self control when I really just don't feel like doing stupid things. xD And I might do the same with the spider... actually, I would probably tell myself that I have to do it since I'm moving away next year and if I can't deal with a freaking spider then there's no way I'll be able to deal with college. xD I think that I'm just going to leave A Harmless Game where it is... screw making money off of my short stories (and it would never get accepted anyway haha). :)

 **PSIBoy:** Yep, Mr. Agerate is inspired by Lupin from Harry Potter and Riku from Kingdom Hearts. :) Well, Jeff has no proof that Mr. Agerate's telling the truth, and he's used to seeing Mr. Agerate as a really cool teacher rather than a person trying to take the fate of the universe into his own hands. He's understandably flabbergasted. xD Well, 50 psions and an immortal army of ectoplasmic soldiers. That helps. And each psion is basically a small, mobile army on its own. They're hard to kill and can blast large areas. And there aren't that many empirists... yeah, maybe a few thousand. Still, a psion can easily rip through hundreds of soldiers, given the right conditions. Besides, they weren't really expecting to get attacked out of the blue. That's what teleportation can do to battle strategy. Oh, I dislike that as well. I don't like it when the hero struggles super hard and then the villain is just like "None of that matters cuz I'm superpowered now :D" Which is why I thought that it would be interesting to putt the antagonists in the corner and see how they react. See you! :)

 **crabbyTomato:** Yep, a little bit of unnerving mysteriousness was the intent there. :) And we go into Ninten's POV this chapter. The whole chapter is Ana and Ninten (wasn't exactly the plan but that's how it turned out). And yeah, I wanted to portray Ana as a strong fighter without being like "Omg look its a girl who can fight!" like so many video games today. And Ana's a little biased since she's a little overbearing and she wants to protect everything but yeah Ness is pretty vulnerable. And there's _kind of_ a cliffhanger at the end of this story... but honestly, there's no way for me to really give a quick answer to that potential cliffhanger. :/

 **A Fan:** Well, in City of Progress, Fassad doesn't hate Lucas from the start (and he hates Claus a lot more). And yes, that's exactly why Lucas isn't in A Harmless Game. Infallible logic. Well, it's not like the shapeshifting was a huge reveal, and Mr. Agerate isn't the only one in this story who can shapeshift. I get what you're saying, but the point wasn't to be like "Omg plot twist!" because that would be the lamest plot twist ever. Rather, it establishes some ambiguity about who Mr. Agerate really is. I guess that I'm saying that I don't think that it needs a leadup because it wasn't very leadup-worthy. And trust me, Mr. Agerate has a much bigger "x is actually y" thing. I put a few hints down (one of which is in the next chapter), but they're pretty subtle. Although, I don't know what I'm going to do if someone actually guesses it. xD

...Yeah, I tried to find another way to close that scene out, but nothing seemed to work. It's okay, though; I can go through Jeff's feelings of annoyance at not really being able to do anything about that situation at the start of next book (so much to cover!). :) The whole thing with Giygas was kind of a last-minute addition, so I didn't have it super well mapped out. And I'm glad that you noticed that Morgan's plan seems strangely convenient. :) And with the knife thing, Morgan doesn't have to drop the knife to hold a finger up to her throat. She just holds the knife with her other four fingers. :D And yeah, it moves the knife away from Ness' throat, but the knife is mostly symbolic to begin with. Morgan's a psion; she can kill Ness with her mind if she wants to.

 **Guest:** Haha I feel so evil! xD But never fear, I'm here with the (over 5k word) resolution to that cliffhanger. And I may have stolen the Call Weapon thing. Just maybe. Hey, I'm not making any money off of this, so I think that I can steal things when I want to. ;) Wow. That's dedication. xD Not even I do that... although it's probably because my parents don't really monitor my sleep (I usually end up going to bed before 11 on school nights anyways, which is pretty good for a high school senior).

For making your characters sound different... I definitely know what you mean and I agree that it's important. It's just that... my method for that is pretty weird. xD Basically, when I write a character's dialogue, I pretend to _be_ that character in that moment. My thoughts become their thoughts, and what I would say becomes what they actually say. It's also how I write descriptions of body motions (which I have a lot of, haha). So during that scene with Ana's parents where Ness got all depressed, I put myself in Ness' shoes and saw how I would react to what people were saying if I were in his state and had his personality... which ended up being not much of a reaction at all. That still freaks me out a little, honestly. xD

Well, Ninten hasn't met Lucas (yet). The two of them aren't scheduled to meet for a LONG time. And yeah, Lucas will be more important next book. Poo and Claus will also play larger roles. :) Ah, thanks! Ana might be my favorite character from this fic (although I still haven't even written the parts about her that I want to!), with Ninten being the other candidate. Oh, but I like Morgan too... dang it, why do I like my own characters so much? xD Sure, feel free to PM me when you post a chapter! See you! :)

* * *

 _Aphrodite is going to explode._

 _I can't wrap my head around that concept. The idea of planetary destruction wiggles out of my brain every time that I try to lock on it. I guess there are just some things that we aren't supposed to understand._

 _Maybe I should be glad that I don't understand. Maybe I should be glad that I can only feel numbness when thinking about what will be left of this planet in a month._

 _I think that it would destroy me to truly understand the consequences of such a slaughter._

 _However, I can understand how the planet's destruction will affect me. Osohe castle… everything that I know and love… it will all be wrenched away from me._

 _Oh… what is this coldness inside of my chest?_

 _No, no… I can't cry. I'm strong now._

 _Everything's going to be all right. This is just a bad dream, isn't it? I'll wake up tomorrow and get another chance to help Lucas along. That… has to be what's happening._

 _PLEASE DON'T LET THIS BE REAL!_

* * *

"Boras," Ninten said, walking up to his great-uncle in the desolate fields outside of Vulcan.

"Things… should be better than this, shouldn't they?" Boras asked, gesturing towards the empty landscape around them. "Vulcan used to have birds, you know. Wondrous birds, like the sort that you would find on Aphrodite. Genetically engineered by the Osohe, some say. Can you imagine what this land would feel like with trees producing fresh air and birds chirping in the morning?"

Ninten pulled out a sword and shield, pointing the sword at Boras.

"I expected as much," Boras said with a sigh. "So young and so cynical. Life is beautiful, you know. You don't have to squander it."

"You really didn't bring anyone else, did you?" Ninten asked.

"I am a genuine person," Boras said with a smile, pulling a longer sword out of its sheath and holding it up. "Not always honest, but… genuine. I've learned that life just tends to work out better that way."

"You can't possibly believe that," Ninten said, taking a step forward.

Boras' smile widened.

"I do," he said. "And I want to convince you to join me on my mission."

"Never," Ninten hissed. "I won't fall into your trap again. Even if you are genuine, you're making people suffer. If I can kill you right here, I can restore peace to thousands."

"Ask yourself if-"

"Shut up!" Ninten shouted. "I'm sick of hearing you talk!"

"Please, just-"

"No!" Ninten yelled, barreling down as he prepared to charge.

* * *

 _No,_ Ana thought, unable to look away from the knife at Ness' throat. He looked so _small,_ laying there unconscious. _No, please…_

"Why?" Ana croaked.

"Because she's a cold-hearted devil," Claus said. "Most people are."

"I suppose that my heart is cold," Morgan said, "And it _does_ pain me to do this. I am sorry, Ms. Aniah."

"What do you want from me?" Ana asked. "I'll do anything! Please, just don't hurt Ness…"

 _Weak,_ Ana told herself. _Ness would want me to help the universe. He wouldn't want for me to sacrifice myself in an attempt that probably wouldn't even save him. I'm just caving in because I can't bear the thought of seeing his blood spill out of his throat._

"That's a good question," Morgan said, her eyes shining deviously. "I'm going to play the bad guy right now. You're coming with me, Ms. Aniah. Claus, you can stay behind if you don't tell anyone what happened."

 _Oh, psych,_ Ana thought, her eyes widening in horror. _Please don't do this to me._

"You want to take me as a hostage," Ana said.

Morgan chuckled.

"Isn't that the first thing that I told you, Ms. Aniah?"

* * *

Ninten's and Boras' swords collided, ringing with a metallic _clang!_

"I'm sick of you people pretending that you're right!" Ninten yelled, hacking at his great-uncle.

Boras blocked each stroke, his sword dancing in a methodical fashion that carried a sense of rhythmic beauty. He made no attempt to attack Ninten.

"Entangling ectoplasm!" Ninten shouted, a ball of goo flying towards Boras, who stepped out of the way.

"Psych it!" Ninten yelled, trying to resist the urge to go for more aggressive attacks. He couldn't let his anger make him stupid.

"Tell me, Ninten," Boras whispered. "Do you really hate us, or do you just _want_ to hate us?"

"Shut up!" Ninten shouted, smashing his sword against Boras'.

Boras smiled, transitioning to the offensive as he launched a flurry of attacks at Ninten. Ninten blocked the attacks, his anger growing with every second that he fought.

"I'm tired of you people and your methods!" Ninten screamed. "You'll do psyching _anything_ to get what you want! I bet that you're trying to take hostages right now!"

"Maybe," Boras said, his eyes twinkling. "But what makes you think that Minerva Carpainter is so different? At least we plan to treat our hostages with a modicum of respect."

* * *

"Don't give into her requests, Ana," Claus growled. "You know that it's a trap. You psyching _know._ "

"I… do," Ana said, her voice shaking.

 _But when someone holds a knife up to Ness' throat, nothing else seems to matter!_

"So what are you going to do, Ms. Aniah?" Morgan asked. "Diana Carpainter isn't going to pop up and save you this time."

Ana felt the blood drain from her face.

"You… know about that?" she asked. "How do you know about the time when we tried to heal Kumatora during the starman attack?"

"I have my sources," Morgan said with a smirk.

 _Strong,_ Ana thought, feeling herself tremble. _You have to stay strong! You still have your secrets… she can't possibly know about those, right?_

"What else do you know about me?" Ana asked.

"Much," Morgan said. "More than your parents, probably."

"Don't psyching listen to her," Claus said.

"It's hard not to when she's holding a knife up to Ness' throat!" Ana yelled.

"The thing about most people who hold hostages is that few of them are really prepared to act on it," Claus said. "After all, it leaves them with no power over you."

"Except for a host of psionic powers, some of which could cripple either of you," Morgan said.

Ana looked into Morgan's eyes. She liked to think that she had gotten good at reading people over the years, and what she saw in Morgan terrified her. The empirist possessed the poise of an experienced killer.

"Don't think that I'll hesitate to slit his little throat," Morgan said, her penetrating eyes locking onto Ana's. "Because I won't."

 _Oh, Psych…_ Ana thought. _Is there any way to get out of this?_

 _…_

 _There isn't, is there?_

* * *

"Minerva Carpainter…" Ninten said, fumbling for a reply.

"How well do you really know her?" Boras asked, taking calculated swings at Ninten.

"Not well," Ninten admitted. "But even if she is bad, at least her reign is one of peace. People are generally happy and have access to better opportunities than ever before."

"There it is," Boras said, shaking his head as he parried one of Ninten's strokes. "You think that just because something's _better,_ it's _good enough._ I can make a genuinely good world, Ninten. _We_ can make a genuinely good world."

Boras extended a hand, inviting his great-nephew to take it. Ninten tried to hack it off instead. Boras retracted his arm a fraction of a second before Ninten would have sliced it off.

"Innocent people are dying because of your ideals!" Ninten screamed.

"Innocent people die every day on Vulcan," Boras said. "Here, corporations make the law. You could change that, Ninten. You could save so many more lives…"

"So it's the 'do bad actions for the greater good' argument," Ninten said with a snort. "Everyone pulls that one out eventually."

"I agree that the ends do not justify the means," Boras said, "And indeed, my means are morally correct. Sure, people die. But they die fighting for what they believe in. Isn't there some kind of romantic allure to that?"

"For you, maybe," Ninten said, "Because I'll make sure that you'll be one of those _sacrifices._ "

"We'll see," Boras said, adopting a humorous smile. "We'll see."

* * *

"We can't stand here like this," Claus growled. "Psych it, Ana! We have to _do_ something."

"Please," Morgan said with a wicked smile. "Do go ahead."

"Sure as psych I will!" Claus shouted.

"But remember," Morgan said, holding up a finger. "Take one step and he dies."

"Please, Claus," Ana whispered. " _Please._ I… can't bear to watch him die. I _can't._ "

"I'm not sure," Claus said, "But I think that he would want-"

"This isn't about him!" Ana yelled. "It's about me! I'm selfish! I know that he would want me to stand up and fight, but I can't take the guilt of knowing that I caused his death."

"Seems like you two have a little disagreement, hmm?" Morgan asked. "But are you so sure that it's only the guilt motivating you, Ms. Aniah?"

"What else could it…" Ana trailed off, her eyes widening. "I'm scared. I'm scared of fighting. I'm scared of losing myself."

"Ah," Morgan said. "The truth comes out. Feel free to attack me, Ms. Aniah. Maybe I won't kill your boyfriend. But even if I don't… who's to say that _you_ won't? You do have a track record of hurting people you love."

 _No…_

"How do you know about that?" Ana asked, her body convulsing uncontrollably. "I worked so hard to hide that… so hard…"

Memories flooded to Ana's mind. She remembered how _good_ it felt to immerse herself utterly in combat, sparring against Ninten with no goal other than to win.

And then… a dent in Ninten's forehead…

 _NO!_

For so long, Ana had built walls around her mind to protect her from the outside world. After all, memory was just the result of electric impulses in her brain. If she and everyone else could pretend that some memories didn't happen… well, they would stop existing, wouldn't they?

Apparently not.

"In this universe, nothing is forgotten," Morgan said. "Not really."

"Don't let her get to you, Ana!" Claus shouted. "You need to be strong for Ness!"

 _I can't help it!_ Ana wanted to scream. _She's right! She's psyching right!_

"So, Ms. Aniah," Morgan said, once again staring through Ana's eyes and into her soul. "Your move?"

* * *

Ninten zipped around, trying to find an opening in Boras' defenses.

"Entangling ectoplasm!" he shouted, the ball of goo once again missing his great-uncle. "Psych it!"

"This is the power of preservation," Boras said, adopting a defensive stance. "You and your father think that you have to destroy what you do not agree with."

"And you don't?" Ninten asked.

"I think that we can have a peaceful revolution," Boras said. "I only inflict harm when I have no other choice. I just want to have a discussion with the people of the universe about the direction that we're headed. Look around you, Ninten. This landscape is utterly devoid of life. Even we seem mechanical in such a setting. This will only get worse."

"We can make it better!" Ninten yelled. "We can… fix it!"

"And you call me naïve," Boras said with a smile that took some of the sting out of the words. "Do you really think that people on Earth and Ceres will vote to help people on Vulcan if it means higher taxes or more expensive products?"

Ninten lunged, once again attacking Boras with almost everything he had.

"Your combat style intrigues me," Boras said. "You're so angry. That is almost always a recipe for downfall. Yet somehow, you manage to retain your sense of battle logic while under the throes of rage. That is why I want to make you emperor, Ninten. You feel emotions strongly, but you don't let it make you stupid. Sure, you'll mess up a few times in the beginning, but what does that matter when we can make you immortal?"

"Stop… talking!" Ninten shouted. It wasn't fair how he was gasping for breath while Boras hadn't even broken a sweat.

"You're trying to shut out my voice because you don't want to see me as a human," Boras said, swinging the tempo as he went on the offensive. "You want to see me as nothing more than an empirist. That doesn't suit you, Ninten. You've always been such an egalitarian."

Ninten tried to block out the words, but a part of his mind told him that Boras was right, that he _should_ listen and try to see each empirist as a person before judging them. But that truth went against everything that Ninten had come to Vulcan to fight for.

Maybe that was why he felt so angry.

"You've always had so much potential, Ninten," Boras said. "We can't help who we are when we're born, but you got most of the positive characteristics right off the bat. It makes me sad that your radiant personality hasn't persisted throughout the years."

"It makes _you_ sad?" Ninten asked, blocking Boras' attacks with his shield. "Think about how it felt for me! Getting kidnapped, drugged, stuffed into a bag, and trafficked over to Onett to test for psionic powers, only to find everyone pointing fingers at me because I wasn't psyching _strong_ enough to beat one of the most powerful psions in the universe! Don't pretend like you understand how that feels."

"You dealt with Coran for a few days," Boras said. "I dealt with him for 80 years. I do understand how you feel, Ninten Lorune. I understand how my brother made people feel. Why do you think that I let my daughter kill him, even as my heart was telling me to stop?"

"Don't psyching call me that!" Ninten screamed.

"Ninten Lorune," Boras repeated. "That is your name."

"NO IT PSYCHING ISN'T!"

Ninten _screamed,_ somehow still able to keep control over his body in the mist of the storm of emotions that raged in his heart. He lunged at Boras once, twice, three times. His great-uncle blocked all three smoothly.

"And you still don't show any signs of sloppiness," Boras said, shaking his head in awe. "Remarkable."

* * *

"I can't," Ana whispered. "Oh, Divine Rulers! I can't do it!"

Morgan smiled triumphantly.

"Now," she said. "You're coming with me, Ms. Aniah."

"Ana!" Claus shouted. "Isn't it obvious that she's playing you? She wants to mess with your mind so that you won't attack her and then trick you into coming with her, even though you _know_ that it's a trap."

 _In that case, mission psyching accomplished for her,_ Ana thought.

"…Claus is right," Ana said, having to remind herself more than once why she should care. "Even if I come with you, you won't let Ness go. You'll continue using him as leverage while I'm a hostage."

"You're right, of course," Morgan said with a sigh. "You really have no reason to come with me… unless I can persuade you to."

"Which will never happen," Ana said.

"Don't be so sure," Morgan replied, wagging her finger. "I might have just the piece of information to convince you."

Ana snorted.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just what do you know about what went down on Aphrodite two years ago?" Morgan asked.

* * *

"Mind thrust!" Ninten shouted, using the psionic attack to cover for his physical one as he rushed in. Boras barely managed to twist out of the way of Ninten's blade.

"You know," Boras said. "You can kill me right now, if you want to. I know that you have Dynaldas on you."

 _Oh, right,_ Ninten thought. _I can use the power that Dynaldas grants me to stop his heart._

"But you won't," Boras said.

"How do you know that?" Ninten asked.

"Because getting rid of me isn't your ultimate goal," Boras answered.

Only years of training allowed Ninten to push through the shock that he felt upon hearing those words.

"Of _course_ I want to get rid of you!" Ninten exclaimed.

"Then do it," Boras said. "Pull out Dynaldas and kill me."

"It's a trap," Ninten said, narrowing his eyes.

"If I had a trap planned, I would have activated it by now," Boras said dryly. "I don't have any psionic powers, Ninten. What can I do to you?"

"…"

"Tell me," Boras said. "Do you really want to kill me, or do you just want to prove me wrong?"

Ninten responded with a flurry of attacks.

"Your silence is an answer in itself," Boras said, chuckling.

 _No…_ Ninten thought. _I do want to kill Boras. If I get rid of him, then I can save thousands of lives._

So why wasn't he pulling out Dynaldas and sealing his great-uncle's death right now?

* * *

 _Is this some sort of trick question?_ Ana thought.

Claus growled like a caged animal. Ana looked into his eyes and saw hatred unlike what she had ever perceived before. It almost felt like Claus _was_ hatred, in that moment. Nothing else existed beneath his skin; even vital organs had to make way for the explosive amount of rage in his body.

Ok, maybe this topic wasn't so simple.

"The surface of Aphrodite was wiped clean by nuclear warheads, killing everyone who lived there," Ana said. "The starmen initiated the attack, although nobody knows why."

"Are you so sure that the starmen were the ones to drop the nuclear bombs?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah," Ana said. "Who else would have?"

"Then why," Morgan said, "Did the starmen drop bombs on Aphrodite and not any of the other planets? Sure, Ceres is protected by the psionic dome, but why wouldn't the starmen decide to wipe out Earth as well?"

"What are you getting at?" Ana asked. "Who are you saying _did_ drop the bombs, then?"

"Have you ever heard the Aphroditian fable about the seven golden needles?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah," Ana said. "Seven golden needles with almost unthinkable levels of psionic power inserted in them…"

 _Wait,_ Ana thought. _Needles?_

A horrible, _horrible_ idea popped into Ana's head.

"No," she said, her eyes widening. "It can't be…"

* * *

"You want to prove that you're stronger than me," Boras said. "Killing me isn't enough. You have to _beat_ me first. But doesn't that go against all of your creeds? Isn't strength… well, _not important?_ "

Ninten didn't know how to respond to that. Was it possible that he told everyone that strength didn't matter because he was subconsciously guilty of yearning it himself?

"I think that to see eye to eye, we need to disregard this competition," Boras said. "We need to focus on what will make this world better, not who wins and who loses."

Boras threw his sword aside.

"So what do you say, Ninten Lorune?" he asked, holding his hand out as an invitation of peace.

* * *

Morgan smiled triumphantly.

"No," Ana repeated. All of the pieces fit; everything made sense! "No…"

Ana looked at Claus. He looked even _more_ bottled up with rage, if that were possible. Ana half-expected him to physically explode.

 _He comes from Aphrodite,_ Ana thought. _He would know the truth._

But Ana couldn't face this truth. She knew that if she accepted what made sense, she might never be able to smile again.

"Tell me, Ms. Aniah," Morgan said. "Who dropped the nuclear bombs on Aphrodite?"

"Minerva Carpainter," Ana whispered.

* * *

"You get that hand away from me or I'll psyching cut it off!" Ninten shouted.

Boras smiled but didn't retract his hand.

"I'm dead serious," Ninten warned.

"If you cut my hand off when I only offer you peace-"

"Your peace is flawed!" Ninten yelled. "Even if you're sincere, most empirists rape and murder! If I can take you out, then they'll be forced to scatter!"

"Does that justify cutting my hand off?"

"Just move your psyching hand back!" Ninten shouted at the top of his lungs. "…Please."

"No."

Ninten buried the part of his mind that screamed for him to stop and hacked off his great-uncle's hand. Boras didn't even try to dodge the blow, nor did he flinch when Ninten chopped off his hand. Instead, he looked up to Ninten with the smile of a sage.

"It seems," Boras said, blood pouring from the stump where his hand used to be, "That violence is usually the result of one person trying to exert power over the other. But it doesn't make you feel very powerful, does it?"

* * *

"Yes," Morgan said. "Minerva pulled the needles from the ground and destroyed an entire planet to hide the evidence. She broke those needles into smaller ones and used them to control the ectoplasmic warriors that are now slaughtering my people." Her eyes flashed with rage that couldn't possibly have been fabricated. " _That_ is the price of your peace, Ms. Aniah."

* * *

"Stay back!" Ninten shouted, pointing his sword at Boras. "Stay back, or I'll take more than your hand!"

"Ask yourself why you're saying that, Ninten," Boras said. "Why would you want to maim the person who offers you peace? I think that you just _want_ to hate me, and you're frustrated that I'm not giving you excuses to view me as a villain."

Ninten took a step back. He would _not_ let himself tremble.

"It's scary, isn't it?" Boras asked. "Finding someone who doesn't cave into your threats. It's almost like that time when you confronted the cop about Pokey's murder a few weeks ago."

"Please," Ninten said, not bothering to think about how Boras knew about that. "Please, just go away. I don't want to kill you anymore, but I will, if you take another step forward. Nobody has to die, Boras. Please… just _go._ "

"Didn't the officer make a similar offer with Dynaldas?" Boras asked. "Like you, I think that I shall decline."

* * *

"Claus," Ana whispered. "Please say that she's lying."

"It's all true," Claus said, his voice quiet yet harder than a stone. "I heard it from President Carpainter herself."

 _Please…_ Ana thought. _Not this… So much of my world has already been broken down. Please don't let this be real!_

But there was no doubt in her mind. Morgan's words just made _sense._ Minerva Carpainter had always possessed an apathetic streak that she hid under an empathetic exterior. It really didn't surprise her at all that the president would destroy a planet to keep her secrets hidden.

For the first time in her life, Ana realized that she was truly fighting for the wrong side.

* * *

"Don't!" Ninten shouted, but it was too late. Boras had already taken a step towards Ninten.

Ninten swore that he wasn't controlling his body anymore. It wasn't _him_ who hacked off the rest of Boras' arm, leaving only a stump protruding from his shoulder. He would never do that…

Boras' arm fell to the ground. Already, the blood loss made his face go pale. Ninten looked up into Boras' eyes and saw no change in his great-uncle's demeanor. He wore the same, wise smile on his face.

 _How…?_ Ninten thought.

* * *

"Ana," Claus said.

"…"

"Ana!"

"Morgan, is it?" Ana asked, surprised at how dead her voice sounded. "I'll go with you."

Morgan flashed a wicked smile.

"I thought that you would come around in the end," she said.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Ninten said, drawing a shaky breath. "But I need to keep good on my threat. If I don't follow through, then it leaves me open for people to take advantage of me…"

Ninten looked at the waterfall of blood flowing from what was left of Boras' arm. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to open them less than a second later. He needed… to be alert… in case Boras tried to attack him…

"That's what your father told you, correct?" Boras asked. "He despises the police, yet he is similar to them in that way, among others. Tell me, how are you any different than a cop murdering a civilian?"

"Stay… away…" Ninten said, his sword shaking in his hands. "Get… medical help."

"You could heal me," Boras said. "If you really care about saving my life."

 _I can't let anyone in!_ Ninten thought. _Anyone will hurt me if I give them the chance. Anyone._

"Go away!" Ninten screamed.

"That feeling," Boras said. "You are powerless. You can't control me. How does that feel?"

Ninten's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare take another step-"

Boras walked forward.

Ninten ran his sword through Boras' heart.

* * *

"Ana!" Claus shouted. "Remember what you told me on Ceres about not wanting to be a hostage? Not wanting to be a liability? Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"…No," Ana whispered. "No, not anymore."

Ana took a step towards Morgan Lorune.

* * *

Boras' body turned stiff. Ninten released his grip on the sword, looking at the blood trickling on his blade in horror.

"…Oh," Boras said, seeming genuinely suprirsed.

"No," Ninten protested. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry!"

"Learn from this," Boras whispered, a weak smile coming to his lips. "Please."

* * *

"Yes," Morgan said. "Come to me."

"Ana!" Claus shouted. "Don't… don't do this!"

 _Wait,_ Ana thought. _Something's wrong here._

 _Why can't I feel my heart beating?_

* * *

As Ninten looked back up to Boras' face, time seemed to slow. Even in the face of imminent death, Boras' facial expression hadn't changed. His eyes still contained the wisdom and conviction that Ninten had known him so well for.

In Boras' last moments, he was more alive than Ninten had been in two years.

* * *

Ana blinked. It felt like awaking from a spell. Had Morgan… used some sort of psionics on her?

 _No,_ she thought. _It came from me. It came from my guilt. I felt so much shame at the thought of working with the person who destroyed Aphrodite that I shut everything else out._

 _Instead of losing myself in battle, I lost myself in guilt. Maybe Morgan's right and I should oppose Minerva, but there is no psyching way that I'll work with someone who threatens to kill Ness!_

Ana breathed a sigh of relief. The world once again seemed to come to life with all of its grey hues. A dreary prospect, no doubt, but a prospect that Ana would take over becoming Morgan's hostage.

Now, how could she escape this situation?

* * *

Boras flashed one last smile before falling to the ground, his eyes glazed over completely.

He was dead.

* * *

As Ana was formulating a loose plan for how to escape, Morgan stood up straight, releasing Ness from her grip.

"No," she said. "No! Dad… you said that you had Ninten taken care of! You said…"

A dark expression crossed over Morgan's face. Ana's heart skipped a beat.

"Teleport!" she shouted, phasing out of existence.

Ana ran over to Ness. She hugged him, and then kissed him on the forehead even though he was unconscious.

 _Oh my,_ Ana though, overwhelmed by her sense of relief. _Is this how it feels to be a parent? I have to stop judging mom and dad as harshly for doing this to me._

"Ana," Claus said, walking up to her with furrowed eyebrows. "Didn't that woman mention something about Ninten? He could be in danger."

 _Oh, psych._

"Yeah," Ana said, trying not to fly into a panic. "I think that I know where he is. Can I teleport you over there? I want to leave Ness alone and I don't trust myself around that woman anymore."

"Sure," Claus said. "Just don't expect me to come back alive."

A chill ran down Ana's spine.

"Are you okay going in, then?" Ana asked.

"Of course," Claus said as if it were obvious. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed. If there's a chance that I can save Ninten… well, let's just say that I want to make up for what I've done to him."

Ana nodded. She knew how that felt.

"Goodbye," Ana whispered.

"See you, Ana," Claus said, flashing a smile. In that moment, Ana could see a shred of radiance in his personality surface from its mutilated depths. "You gave me a lot to think about over these last few months. Thanks for that."

 _Don't act like you're going to die!_ Ana wanted to scream.

"Teleport," she whispered, putting extra psionic power into the ability so that he wouldn't have to get a running start.

Claus faded away. Ana turned back to Ness. Even though their first hour on Vulcan had been nothing but a catastrophe, Ana could still salvage some joy from the experience:

Joy that Ness was safe.

* * *

Ninten cried.

He couldn't remember the last time that tears of sadness had come to his eyes. It must have been two years ago, when his grandfather Coran forced Ninten to activate his psionics. The tears felt so _strange,_ rolling down his face.

 _Forgive me._

Why had he done it? Why had he killed the person who wasn't a threat to him, who only wanted to help him along?

 _Forgive me._

Ninten bent down and pulled the sword out of his great-uncle's chest. It was still red with blood… blood that he had spilled.

 _Forgive me._

Why? How could someone be so _alive_ just minutes ago and be nothing but a corpse lying on the ground now? Who could possibly let that happen?

 _Me. It's all my fault._

Ninten let out a lonely wail. He scanned the grey landscape of Vulcan, hoping to find something, _anything_ that would comfort him after what he had done.

Nothing. This planet, just like his parents, had rejected him the moment when things started to go wrong.

 _Why is this world so empty? Why is this world so cold?_

 _…I guess that's what Boras was trying to solve, huh?_

Ninten didn't know why that last thought made him cry even more.

"All right," came a stern voice behind him. "I think that you have a little explaining to do."

Ninten yelped, turning around to see a woman walking towards him, her stiff body posture indicating barely contained rage. Who was she and why was she here?

"You…" Ninten said, his eyes widening in realization. "Morgan. Morgan Lorune."

"Congratulations," Morgan hissed. "Do you want a piece of candy for that?"

Balls of energy flew from Morgan's hands, exploding as they made contact with the ground. Ninten felt the heat of one of the balls as it grazed past his leg. He leapt out of the way, several more balls nearly hitting him. Gasping for breath, Ninten raised his sword at Morgan.

" _You,_ " she spat. "You psyching killed him. You killed my dad!"

Morgan's wild eyes and unstable posture made her seem like a child, but if she were Boras' daughter… she was probably around 50 years old.

"I… did," Ninten admitted.

More balls of energy flew from her hands. One of them hit Ninten in the arm, causing his vision to swirl.

 _I've felt worse,_ he thought, his psionic stall giving him a few seconds that he needed to use to heal his arm. _I just gotta push through._

"Lifeup," Ninten whispered.

The pain didn't go away, but at least his arm wouldn't come out charred.

"Don't you know how _wonderful_ he was?" Morgan asked. "He was everything that the universe needed, and _you killed him._ "

"I'm sorry," Ninten whispered.

"You say that you're sorry, but you're still pointing that psyching sword at me!"

Ninten shook his head, his mouth instinctually forming into a grimace.

"I don't want to die," Ninten said. "I know that's selfish, but… I don't want to die. Not yet."

"And do you think," Morgan said, "That he was any different? That just because he was old, he was _okay_ with dying?"

To be honest, Ninten hadn't really thought about that.

"He wasn't," Morgan said flatly. "He had so much left to do for this universe, and then _you_ psyched it up!"

 _I don't know,_ Ninten thought. _It seemed like he was playing me all along. But why would he?_

"Well?" Morgan screeched. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Ninten pulled Dynaldas out of his pocket.

"Heartrend," he whispered, hoping against hope that it would work.

Morgan's face twisted into a sneer.

"Even with my damaged psionic aura, you're so pathetic that you can't even break through it," she hissed. "Your psionics are so weak that it's easy for me to resist with my own aura. Sure, your little psionic power can kill instantly, but that doesn't matter if every competent psion in the world can block it."

"I… know," Ninten wheezed. "It's called a 'last-ditch effort.'"

"Well, that is going to be your _last_ effort," Morgan said. "Because. I. AM. GOING. TO. KILL. YOU."

"I wouldn't be so sure," came a voice from behind Ninten.

Claus walked up to Ninten's side, favoring the American with a smile. Ninten blinked. Was _Claus_ really showing… well, was he really showing something besides hatred or contempt?

"What are you doing here?" Morgan asked. "Now I might have to kill you both."

"I think that I can accept that," Claus said. "Because… I'm starting to learn that there are more important things than a mission."

Morgan's face contorted into a sneer.

"I…" she said, her shoulders slouching. "My dad made me promise not to kill you, Ninten. Almost like he _knew_ that this was going to happen. I guess that I should honor that… But just because I can't kill you doesn't mean that I can't show you pain."

"You're going to torture me?" Ninten asked.

"No," Morgan said, her face returning to neutral. "I'm going to make you see the truth. And as you have just witnessed, the truth is rarely pretty."

 _I don't know if I buy this confident attitude of hers,_ Ninten thought. _She seemed like she was about to lose it just a few seconds ago._

"And what are you going to do to me?" Claus asked.

"Both of you are coming with me," Morgan said, her voice falsely sweet, "Or I break my promise and kill both of you where you stand."

"Tough choice," Ninten muttered sarcastically.

"…I don't know," Claus said. "The first rule of war is to _never_ do what the enemy wants you to. She obviously has a plan for us."

"Neither of us are worth anything, so it's not like she can use us as hostages," Ninten said.

"I wasn't thinking about that," Claus said. Turning to Morgan, "I want a promise from you. I want you to promise that you won't brainwash us with your psionics."

 _Psions can do that?_ Ninten thought. _I guess that it makes sense. Most telepathy powers involve messing with the mind._

"I promise not to," Morgan said without missing a beat.

"Is that good enough for you, Claus?" Ninten asked.

"…I guess so," Claus whispered. "Although I still don't trust her."

"Everyone ready?" Morgan asked.

 _I feel like I'm going to regret this,_ Ninten thought.

"Yeah," he said.

Morgan walked up to Ninten and Claus, grabbing their arms. Ninten winced; Morgan's grip wasn't particularly delicate.

"Teleport," she said.


	36. Chapter 30: Just the Beginning

**Note:** **This is the second chapter of a double update.** **If you haven't read ch. 29, you should do that now (not that the first part of this will spoil anything for you).**

 **Well, this is it. The last chapter. And it's pretty short, too. The first part is my attempt at writing from a non-human POV, and it's absolute trash. But I've been wanting to try something like that for a while. Anyways, please don't tell me that it's trash because I already know that it is. :) But it's sooooo hard for someone like me who writes a lot about body motion and facial expression to take on the POV of an alien who doesn't have the basic human instincts that we do.**

 **Oh yeah, and they also translate all of their numbers to binary. Even if you don't know binary, though, it should be pretty easy to understand what they're saying.**

 **But enough of the first, trashy part. There's nothing with Claus and Ninten, so I'm just going to say this:** **They're not in any immediate danger where Morgan is taking them.** **They're fine. No need to worry. :D**

 **And I'd just like to thank everyone who read adn reviewed this story. It means the world to me. :) Man, it's going to be hard to write my own novels when I don't have you guys to help me along. :( But hey, before that I'll finish up this trilogy (quickly, before it turns into a five book series haha). So yeah. Thanks, everyone. :)**

 **And if anyone reviews these last two chapters, I'll put the responses here since the next book isn't starting for a while. :)**

 **Review Responses:**

 **PSIBoy:** Yeah, the psions of Ceres are quite arrogant, and that makes them stupid. I was just arguing that they're not quite as stupid as it first seems. Shoulda mentioned that; sorry. And yeah, Boras is quite the enigma, huh? I'm planning for his character to remain a little ambiguous... I mean, even after this he's more of a symbol than anything else. And I don't think that you have to worry about spoiling a game that's so old. :) Yeah, both of them kinda lose it. And while Claus has no reservations about killing, he doesn't necessarily want to start a fight with a psion who he guesses can beat him pretty handily. If he had attacked Morgan, she probably would have disabled him and killed him. He wanted to save that for a last resort, which is why he didn't try to appear threatening. That's different than the scene with the hostage, where the primary goal is to stay alive rather than to beat Morgan. He knows that he can Ana can stay alive if they sacrifice Ness, but he doesn't think that he can beat Morgan if he attacks her outright.

Yeah, it's not like Morgan has shown a whole lot of restraint in the past, right? xD Like I said in this AN, Claus and Ninten will be fine. For now. :D If they do get brainwashed, it's not going to happen at the start of the next book. Yeah, Jenny's job is considered kinda stupid because it doesn't have a whole lot of practical value. But hey, scholarly starmen are real! :) And yeah, there are definitely going to be some long-term effects from the Morgan thing next book. Ana even said that some days were gonna suck for them, so I have an excuse for putting in more depressing stuff now! :D Yeah, I just hoped that I mentioned the Osohe enough (they did make the freaking barrier around Ceres and the needles, after all), to provoke some sort of emotional impact when Mr. Agerate that Kumatora implies that she's one of them. Thanks! :) The real test is if I can get you to stick with me for the next two books of the trilogy.

 **Paula-Ana:** Thanks! :) And I know that it can be hard to get through ch. 29; the rapid switching back and forth is quite confusing. I just felt that the rapid switching creates an atmosphere of intensity that's worth the confusion that it causes. And the two scenes kinda relate to each other... AND I wanted to leave moments of constant suspense. I guess what I'm saying is that I knew that it might cause a little confusion but I thought it was still cool enough to put in. :) I still haven't decided about Jenny yet. It was super hard to write that part, though. Making something that's alien enough to be remotely interesting yet concrete enough for us to understand is difficult, which is why I decided to go with the "Starman obsessed with humans" approach so that Jenny would understand both sides. And those are my favorite characters too! :) And don't worry, this review is great! :D

 **Ender2142:** At first I though that you were gonna complain about my writing, and I was like "Okay..." xD But yeah, I remember being super pissed that I couldn't upload Mother 3: Catharsis right away. Oh man, I can't believe that was only eight months ago. Or was it nine? *shrugs* Ah, glad to see that I kept you on your toes! :) Yeah, Morgan's an interesting character to me because while I despise a lot of who she is and what she stands for, there are some things that I like about her. Still, I don't know how your opinion of her will change throughout the second book (heck, I dunno if she's even going to follow my plans for her haha. My characters have a habit of doing their own thing). And how Minerva managed to pull the needles is a mystery... a mystery that will be addressed next book (ah, so much stuff to cover!).

No problem! :) If you have any more questions, feel free to send them my way... although I'm still a new writer so I don't know if I'll be able to help you much haha. It takes most authors about five years to get published, so even if fanfiction counts in full towards that (which I'm not sure if it does), I'm still probably over four years away from writing something that will get published. And hey, thanks for reviewing! :) All right; I'm looking forward to reading your stories! Wow, you seem super dedicated. I was totally like that when I first started writing City of Progress (actually, it lasted until I finished writing City of Progress). Now you just have to see if you can keep it up. I don't know if you're like me and you want to become a writer, but all it takes is practice and a desire to improve. :) See you later! :D

 **A Fan:** (Don't worry; I'll update this after you review ch. 30 :D) Well, you don't have to catch every chapter now (or ever, really). Tbh, I do the double upload thing for a couple of reasons:

1\. These chapters are long but don't have a whole lot of plot, leaving some readers feeling unfulfilled with just one chapter

2\. I was getting near the end and since I work ahead a few chapters, I had a bunch of extra stuff to edit, so I decided to edit multiple chunks.

Well, I would be pretty surprised it you got it right now... there are hardly any hints haha. It will become a _little_ more clear next book, but I have a habit of making my secrets less obvious than I think they are. It's probably going to be more soft links than hard evidence, though; Mr. Agerate is pretty good at covering his tracks. :) And yeah, I knew that ch. 29 would be a little confusing, but I hoped that the effect of constant suspense and urgent atmosphere would provide an overall net benefit to the story. Maybe not? Oh yeah, they do say that a lot, don't they? xD ...And Boras' death was inspired by Undertale... Undyne's fight, actually. I killed her in my first playthrough, and it amazed me how she continued to hold on even when she knew that she would lose. It got changed a little when I transferred it over to Boras, though. xD And I'm glad that the Minerva thing made sense. And yeah, you probably have her right. I try to keep my OCs pretty distinct, if they're major (so Minerva, Diana, Mr. Agerate, Morgan, and Boras). See you later! :)

...And time to respond to the ch. 30 review! And the starman definition of efficiency is different than ours. They can transfer massive amounts of data in short periods of time, so efficiency to them is stuff that requires the fewest amount of symbols. and their number system also _looks_ different from ours. Basically, it makes more sense to them. xD And that part is trashy in the way that I've seen people do a WAY better job of it. And Jenny's emotionally transparent because the starmen communicate primarily through telepathy, which includes mind reading, meaning that they just... think things and that's kind of how they talk. Maybe I'll write another Jenny section explaining that and going into how she finds the concept of lies fascinating.

And the reason that Giygas doesn't like when humans change is because he views time in a different way than we do. To him, 100 years passes by like an hour. Imagine if you were studying some primitive animal and their culture changed super rapidly every hour. You'd probably feel a little overwhelmed. :P

Yep. :) Although, I'm not usually consciously thinking about Undertale when I write, though. For the Ana thing, I just tried to know her character well enough to see how she would react. But I do think that my experiences with my favorite books, movies, and video games do impact my writing even if I'm not consciously thinking about them. And not many people know that Minerva even has nukes. If they did, they would start to get a little more concerned...

Haha, Porky (or Pokey, in this story) is in fact dead. Sorry! :) I'll try to put a lot more hints in book two, but again, I always think that my plot twists are easier to predict than they actually are. And one of your gibberish words was so long that it screwed up the review box. ._.

Well, thanks for reviewing and see you later! :D

 **Anonymouse:** I don't think it's obvious, but I definitely meant to do that. :) All of those interpretations are spot on, but that it could be argued that Ceres seems prosperous and fertile but that's just a cover for what lies beneath (not saying that's the only truth; it's just one thing that I came up with haha). Also, Aphrodite was founded with the intent of creating loving family relationships instead of the feudal system of the empire at that time. And yeah, I meant to do it with Minerva. It does make me happy that someone pointed that out! :) Here are a few others that you may or may not have seen:

-The "Gate to Prosperity" relates to the planet being named Ceres, since they have to do with farming and growing stuff.

-Diana is the Roman goddess of the moon and hunt, and her weapon is the bow and arrow. Diana Carpainter in my story is a master huntress, with expert skills with a bow and her ability to track people like a hound with her PSI vision. And as for the moon... there's a reason that I added in the red moon during the night of the starman attack when Diana shows up. :)

-Ms. Monotoli's first name is Juno, the Roman goddess of... actually, I don't know. xD She's Jupiter's wife, and she's petty and extreme, just like Ms. Montoli.

-Mr. Agerate's first name is Apollo, the Greek/Roman god of justice. He's portrayed as a pretty fair person, although who knows if that justice is flawed? :D

-On the polar opposite, Mr. Carpainter's first name is also Apollo. His name is ironic as his cultist "justice" is clearly flawed.

-Along with Minerva, the goddess Minerva/Athena is depicted as favoring technological progress, which plays into the needles. For the president, the needles just the next step forward.

Heh, you can tell all of my newly formed OCs / character ideas (Morgan, Boras, the goddess Lorraine) because they don't have links to Greco-Roman mythology. xD

And thanks! :)

 **crabbyTomato:** Yeah, I figured that since this whole story is a little convoluted and confusing (not always in a bad way, but sometimes definitely in a bad way haha), you guys could take the choppy transitions if you've made it this far. ;) And I won't spoil what Morgan's gonna do, but if you didn't catch it in the AN it's nothing that will directly harm Claus or Ninten, at least not early on. :) And I made Jenny's number around that range so that 4k is about the minimum number of starmen but I can always boost it up higher and say that Jenny just happened to get a lower number by chance. And yeah, I saw a lot of other people do stuff like that so I wanted to try it myself. I was watching a youtube video that talked about a message on some sort of plaque sent to aliens and these scientists were grilling the maker of the message because it involved an arrow pointing to something, because the idea of arrows actually pointing to things is a human construct. It blew my mind. xD To be honest, I made Jenny act like a human because otherwise the whole scene would be incomprehensible. I needed to be able to relate starman actions to human ones, so Jenny had to be knowledgeable about both. :)

I know it's obvious that Ana's human, but people tend to idolize things (and I need to put in multiple scenes showing that Ana's nowhere near perfect so that she doesn't seem boring). And I agree that it's healthier that way; Ana's just kind of used to hiding everything from everyone. It's actually pretty sad. :( And I needed to include a human time measurement some way... although I probably could have done it in a better way than that. I just wanted to show off how bad Gigyas' time sense is when it comes to human history. :)

* * *

 _I will be back._

 _They can't keep me away from Aphrodite forever. They can't stop me from going back home, even if the entire planet will be nuclear wasteland._

 _I have to believe that. I have to believe that I will come home._

 _Because if I can't… I don't know if I can get on this spaceship in front of me and flee._

 _I might choose instead to huddle in Osohe Castle for the last few hours of my life, waiting to fade away once the nuclear weapons drop._

 _That prospect horrifies me, yet I find it strangely alluring…_

 _Because isn't it romantic to die for your planet?_

* * *

Names fascinated starman number 100101011011, so much so that she (he? What exactly was the difference, anyway?) adopted a name of her own: Jenny.

How curious names were. It didn't seem like they really had much of a purpose. Sure, humans used them to identify each other, but why make some names so phonetically inefficient? And then there was the issue of last names… Jenny had discovered that last names were linked to a human's… ancestors? Is that what they called them? Jenny nodded to herself.

But what Jenny found interesting about _that_ was how humans only took the last name of their male parent. It was a result of their sexual dimorphism, Jenny supposed. The cruel mistress of evolution made these creatures so _pathetic._ On top of their gender differences, they developed spine problems (Jenny vaguely remembered that humans called them "back problems"), sometimes at less than 60 years old! Their senses decayed, their memories were faulty, and they could hardly stay alive for a century, all because evolution only required them to live long enough to reproduce.

In truth, Jenny felt bad for humans. What would it be like, to experience the world in such a rudimentary way, to be able to perceive the world only through one's physical senses? Jenny almost barked the starman equivalent of a laugh. The idea of living that way was so undeniably terrible that Jenny couldn't help but feel humored.

Yet these pathetic creatures had somehow managed to create nuclear weapons.

Jenny still didn't know how they managed to do that. Well, no use brooding over that now. She heard Giygas' call through her psionic sense (as if she had other ones!) and teleported to his planet without hesitation.

Vaguely, she supposed that this planet must "look" different from the rest. She considered how humans viewed the universe more and more after studying them for so long.

"GREETINGS, MY CHILD."

Giygas communicated with Jenny through their entirely mental and orderly language. Jenny was _so_ glad that she didn't have to use that human language anymore. There were so many things that she couldn't say with those silly words.

"Master Giygas," she communicated telepathically. "Why did you call me?"

"HUMANS. DID YOU FIND OUT ANYTHING NEW ABOUT THEM?"

Jenny had been relegated to observing humans some time ago… a few centuries, perhaps? Strangely enough, she had grown to _like_ the job. But that didn't stop her from being the laughingstock of the rest of the starmen (if starmen could laugh, that is). She knew that if she didn't present interesting evidence to Giygas, he would exile her.

For a starman, that was the greatest punishment of all. Yet Jenny didn't feel angry or scared about that prospect; that was the way that things worked. Starmen were tools, and even humans knew that faulty tools were to be thrown away.

But while she didn't fear exile, she would do anything in her power to prevent it.

"Indeed," Jenny answered urgently. "I have discovered much, Master Gigyas. For starters, I discovered that humans use a base ten… er, base 1010 number system because they have ten… um, 1010 total appendages at the end of their hands. That is likely how they… _counted_ as a race of hunter-gatherers."

Jenny couldn't help but exude the starman equivalent of a laugh. Counting rather than computing? These humans really _were_ pathetic.

"ANYTHING ELSE?"

"Yes, yes," Jenny said hastily. "Humans have a sense that allows them to… as they put it, 'smell' things. Basically, they perceive objects by the chemicals that the objects give off. But the sense is so rudimentary that I still don't know why they evolved to have it, unless… they needed some sort of chemoreceptor to survive back when they lacked basic logic skills. Regardless, that's what the little stump between their eyes and mouth does."

"INTERESTING."

"But that's not even the interesting part," Jenny said. "You see, these humans have such a limited vocabulary about how they perceive smells. There are a few adjectives that they have, but they mostly use comparisons to relate smells. They say that an object smells _like_ a flower or an orange."

"THEY DON'T EVEN CLASSIFY SMELL BY THE CHEMICAL?"

"I know!" Jenny exclaimed. "It's ridiculous! With 100 trillion… er, 101111101011110000100000000 neural connections in their brain, I expected them to have _some_ semblance of intelligence, but their evolution makes them so inefficient. It fascinates me."

"GOOD WORK, STARMAN 100101011011. YOU PASSED THIS TIME."

Jenny exuded the equivalent of a sigh.

"NOW, I SHALL LET YOU IN ON OUR KNOWLEDGE. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE FORSAKEN PRESIDENT FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH HER THREAT?"

"You mean that she actually dropped nuclear bombs on our planets?" Jenny asked.

"CORRECT."

"How are we going to strike back?" Jenny asked.

"WE AREN'T."

"Huh?"

"DON'T ACT LIKE A HUMAN. YOU UNDERSTOOD ME THE FIRST TIME."

"With all due respect, Master Giygas… why?"

"THE HUMANS ARE KILLING EACH OTHER. YOU KNOW HOW QUICKLY THEY WIPE EACH OTHER OUT."

Jenny transmitted a feeling of understanding, roughly equivalent to a nod.

"But they won't _all_ wipe each other out," Jenny said.

"OF COURSE NOT. I WANT SOME ALIVE. THEY ENTERTAIN ME."

Jenny transmitted a feeling that roughly equated to happiness. She would get to study the humans more!

"THEY ARE ALL PAWNS, STARMAN 100101011011. EVEN THE FORSAKEN PRESIDENT. SHE THINKS THAT I AM INFLUENCING HER."

Really? Didn't the humans know that they were too insignificant to influence? Master Giygas would either leave them alone or kill them. There was no in between.

"THEY FIGHT ON THE PLANET THAT THEY CALL VULCAN. THE FORSAKEN PRESIDENT'S ATTEMPTS TO SILENCE DISSENT WILL ONLY PROVOKE MORE REBELLION."

That made sense. Humans loved their rebellions, even when it made their society function worse as a system. Jenny made a mental note to research that later.

"HOWEVER…"

"What is it, Master Gigyas?" Jenny asked.

"ONE OF MY CHILDREN IS ON THE PLANET THAT THEY CALL CERES. SHE BELONGS TO THE ONES THAT WE WIPED OUT… WHEN WAS THAT? A FEW DAYS AGO?"

"According to human time measurements, it has been over 3000 years since that happened," Jenny said.

"STRANGE. IT SEEMS SO INSIGNIFICANT TO MEASURE IN SUCH SMALL BLOCKS OF TIME. IT ALMOST MAKES ME THINK THAT THEY MEASURE BASED ON THEIR HEARTBEATS."

"Well, they have a standard unit of time that is only a little longer than their heartbeat," Jenny said. "They call it a 'second.'"

"SO STRANGE. I SUPPOSE THAT THEY MEASURE BY PLANK LENGTHS IN THEIR STANDARD LIVES AS WELL?"

Jenny detected a touch of humor in Giygas' communication.

"No," she said. "Their length measurements are less ridiculous."

"HMM. REGARDLESS, I WANT MY CHILD BACK. I SHALL TEACH HER A LESSON. AND PERHAPS I SHOULD INSTATE AN EMPOROR. HUMANS ARE MORE INTERESTING WHEN THEY DON'T CHANGE AS MUCH."

"Indeed, Master Giygas," Jenny said.

"HOWEVER… FOR NOW, WE WAIT AND WATCH. LET THE HUMANS TEAR EACH OTHER TO SHREDS. AFTER THAT… WE'LL SEE."

Jenny transmitted the equivalent of a smile.

"I'll be watching it eagerly," she said.

* * *

Ness sat on the grimy ground outside the city, painting Vulcan's landscape.

 _I'm going to run out of grey paint soon,_ he thought. _The cities, the skies, the ground… grey, grey, grey._

Ness looked at his current painting, trying not to obsess over the imperfections. He was glad that he had brought his painting supplies; not much else helped him relieve his stress these days.

 _I am sorry for this,_ Ness heard in his mind.

He squeezed his eyes shut. Those were the words that he had heard right before he had fallen unconscious. He could tell that Ana had been emotionally hurt during that attack. Maybe it was because Morgan Lorune held a knife up to his throat while she watched.

Maybe Ness was nothing but a tool used to hurt people who cared about him.

Ness sighed, trying to rid his mind of those thoughts. It was just so hard to see Ana so… _imperfect._ She was supposed to be able to take _anything._ One of the reasons that Ness had felt okay letting himself get close to her is that he thought that he couldn't be used to hurt her. Now that he knew how she really felt… It made Ness want to fade away from her life, but he worried that such an action would only hurt her more.

By coincidence, Ana walked up and sat down next to Ness, interrupting his thoughts.

"We won the battle handily," Ana said. "We only lost a handful of psions, and Minerva can just remake the ectoplasmic warriors that the empirists sliced apart. We even managed to capture or kill all of the empirist psions in the attack except for Morgan."

"What about Ninten and Claus?"

"…We didn't find them," Ana said, averting her eyes.

 _Ninten…_ Ness squeezed his eyes shut.

How could someone so _alive_ just hours ago possibly be… dead?

 _Claus…_ Ness gingerly opened his eyes.

He hadn't been able to help Claus, just like he hadn't been able to help Pokey. He just _wasn't good enough._

"I'm… sorry, Ness."

"You don't have to just be sad for me, Ana," Ness whispered. "You can be sad for yourself too. I know that Ninten meant a lot to you."

"Thanks," Ana said, wrapping her arm around Ness' side. "That's a nice painting that you've got there."

"…It's okay," Ness said.

"Really, it's beautiful," she said. "Well, in a depressing sort of way."

Ness could almost _feel_ himself slipping back into his depressed, apathetic state. He wanted to stop himself, but he didn't care enough to _do_ anything.

"Ninten and Claus might be alive, you know," Ana said. "I think that they are, actually. Morgan looked furious when she teleported away. If she had killed either of them, I think that we would have found their remains along with Boras'."

"Mm," Ness said.

"You're… depressed again, aren't you?" Ana asked.

"I suppose that I am," he said. "I just caused so much pain to you that it's easier for me just to… not care."

"Ness…" Ana said. "I'm glad that I felt the pain. It means that I care about you."

"To the point of almost _willingly_ joining the empirists?" Ness asked.

"…That was for another reason," Ana whispered. "And I don't want to tell you that. Not now." Ana looked at Ness, her desperate eyes taking him aback. "Please, Ness, can you just accept that? It's not your fault. I'm sorry that I'm not telling you why I almost fell prey to Morgan's scheme. I know that I _should,_ and that you deserve someone better, but…" Tears started rolling down her face. "I can't. I'm so sorry, Ness."

Ana's sorrow stirred up something deep inside Ness.

"I deserve someone better?" Ness asked. "I don't recall _you_ being dead weight to the people who you love."

"Ness…" Ana took a deep breath, her face returning back to neutral. "I'm sorry for that. I… broke down completely there, huh?"

"At least you can put yourself back together," Ness whispered.

Still, something about Ana's sorrow made Ness feel… something. A spark of emotion, perhaps?

"I can help you put yourself back together too!" Ana said, smiling sweetly.

 _Wrong,_ Ness thought. _All wrong._

It almost felt like Ness _preferred_ it when Ana appeared fallible rather than perfect. But why…?

"Your sorrow," Ness realized out loud. "It's part of you too, isn't it? You're still a strong person, but you can be weak at times, just like everyone else."

"Yeah," Ana said.

"Does that mean that there's hope for me?" Ness asked. "That I can be strong without having to change the core of who I am?"

"I think that it does," Ana said, her perfect face breaking down into an empathetic one with a sad smile. "Although, I wouldn't aim to be like me if I were you. You have so much more potential than I do."

"But that doesn't really matter, does it?" Ness asked. "Strong, weak… we're still _us_ either way. That's what Ninten meant when he said that strength doesn't matter."

"That's one way of looking at it," Ana said. "That it's who we are rather than what we do that matters."

"I… think that I can try to make it through this," Ness said. "For Ninten. If he's still alive, or even if he isn't… I need to show him that I _can_ improve. Then maybe… I'll be able to help Claus. He's so angry all the time; he needs someone to help him along."

"Did you just overcome your depression in… five minutes?" Ana asked.

Ness shook his head.

"It's not that easy," he said. "I still feel depressed; I still feel like the world is wrong and it can't possibly be righted. But… I care enough to try for you, Ninten, and Claus. I'll learn how to feel again."

 _Just like Lucas._

"That's great!" Ana exclaimed. "Some days, it won't be easy. Trust me, you'll feel the weight of the world on your shoulders and find that you can't do _anything._ That's okay. Because so long as you take small steps forward, we can get through this hellpit together."

"Thanks, Ana," Ness said. "What would I do without you?"

"Not get held as a hostage, probably."

Ness chuckled. Seeing Ana so enthusiastic in the face of an abyss of sorrow made him realize that he could be the same way.

"So Ana," Ness said. "Are we officially courting now? It sure feels like it."

"I suppose that we are," Ana said, holding Ness' hand.

Ness looked off into the grey skies of Vulcan. They had conquered him, body and mind, but Ness had found a way to fight back against the gloom.

He wanted to say that it was love, but that was only part of it. Love was just one of many emotions that made him _him._

To fight back, Ness only needed to _care._

* * *

Kumatora jolted awake in a hospital bed. A man walked towards her, halting when he reached her bed. The smile on his face made him seem like a different person entirely.

"You," Kumatora said. "You summoned Giygas, didn't you?"

"Summoned?" the man asked. "No. He was perfectly alive and well before I made contact with him. The name's Apollo Agerate, and I teach Intro to PSI here. It's nice to meet you, Kumatora."

Kumatora recoiled back.

"How do you know my name?" she asked.

"I'm a psion," Mr. Agerate said. "I can read minds."

"Well, would you _stop?_ " Kumatora asked.

"I get that a lot," Mr. Agerate said with a smirk. "All right. I am no longer reading your mind. It's good to see that you recovered so quickly; those tentacles can really do someone in. Tony is still out cold, I believe."

"I felt like they were draining me," Kumatora said, not sure why she was telling this to the person who summoned Giygas in the first place. "Like… my soul was bleeding. If souls exist, anyway."

"What you felt was Giygas draining your psionic power," Mr. Agerate explained. "Luckily, you managed to recover it."

"Listen," Kumatora said. "Why are you here? You summoned a creature-"

"Communicated with," Mr. Agerate corrected.

"Whatever!" Kumatora shouted. "You _communicated_ with a creature that nearly killed us, and then you pretend to care about me? That's not how it works!"

"I wasn't planning for you to stumble upon Giygas," Mr. Agerate said, raising an eyebrow. "I even used the chamber that insulates psionics power. I don't know how you managed to detect him in the first place. Makes me wonder if Juno planned the whole thing."

"Juno?" Kumatora asked.

"Ms. Monotoli," Mr. Agerate explained. "I think that she wanted you to stumble on me talking to Giygas so that you would despise me. She's always been elaborate and petty."

"Well, mission psyching accomplished!" Kumatora shouted. "You're an asshole! Now go away, please."

"But isn't there more that you want to know?" Mr. Agerate asked. "Didn't you, perhaps, _know_ of Giygas before you saw him, even though human civilization has no records of ever encountering him?"

Kumatora flinched.

"How did you know?"

"Mind-reading," Mr. Agerate said with a shrug.

"You said that you would stop!"

"I did. I picked up on that before you told me to discontinue my mind-reading."

"I wasn't thinking about knowing Giygas before encountering him during that time!"

"Not all mental processes occur on the conscious level," Mr. Agerate said with a shrug. "And I _am_ truly sorry about making you uncomfortable, Kumatora. I'm also sorry that you stumbled on me communicating with Giygas. I should have picked a more secure location."

"Or you could have not talked with him at all," Kumatora hissed.

"I've found that it's generally a good idea to keep tabs on an entity that can destroy planets. Now, do you want to ask me more about Giygas and your relation to him?"

"I don't trust you," Kumatora said.

"I would be a little concerned if you did," Mr. Agerate replied. "You can still ask questions, though."

"…Fine," Kumatora said. "What do you know about Giygas? What did he want from me?"

"Did you remember how he called you his child?" Mr. Agerate asked.

"Yeah," Kumatora said. "What does that mean?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Mr. Agerate said. "But… well, you're special, Kumatora."

" _Please_ don't tell me that you think I'm a goddess like that Dalaamian kid did," Kumatora said.

"You mean Poo?" Mr. Agerate asked. "He thought that you were Lorraine?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's possible," Mr. Agerate said.

Kumatora sighed. Why couldn't these people see how stupid they sounded?

"You _do_ bear strong resemblance to her," Mr. Agerate said. "Additionally, most 'gods' throughout history were just particularly strong psions, and your psionics are the strongest that I've ever seen."

Kumatora snorted.

"Don't bother flattering me," she said.

"I state only the facts," Mr. Agerate said. "As you may know, most psions have the same base… aura, and psionic strength is determined by the strength of the _connection_ with that aura. Does that make sense?"

"No."

"Let me use a simile," Mr. Agerate said. "A psionic aura is like a lake. It has more _stuff_ to it than you'll ever be able to access. So, if we relate the lake's water and the aura's psionic potential… a psion's strength is determined by how easily they can gather water from the lake, not the size of the lake itself. Does that make sense?"

"…I guess."

"But _your_ lake is different," Mr. Agerate continued. "Continuing the simile, it's… bigger and cleaner. Your _psionic aura itself_ is better than any other human's in the universe. Sure, you're still fairly weak because you don't have efficient ways to tap into all of that energy, but you are still quite special."

"So you think that I'm a goddess."

"No. It's a possibility, but I don't think so."

"Then who _am_ I?" Kumatora asked, not bothering to keep the irritation out of her voice.

Mr. Agerate smiled.

"Just what do you know about the ancient race of aliens that we call the 'Osohe?'" he asked.


End file.
